NAGOYA –
A brand new absolutely automated freezer warehouse opening in Nagoya in August goals to sort out persistent labor shortages and harsh minus 25-degree working situations in Japan’s rising frozen meals logistics {industry}, whereas additionally introducing environmentally pleasant refrigerants and futuristic remote-monitoring techniques.
One of the ability’s largest options is its in depth automation system, launched to deal with persistent labor shortages within the frozen storage {industry}.
“The inside of freezer warehouses is extremely cold, and workers have traditionally faced harsh conditions, so we decided to automate the system,” stated Ryo Sugimoto, vice chairman of Kasumigaseki Capital.
Working inside freezer warehouses has lengthy been thought of bodily demanding, contributing to industry-wide staffing shortages. The firm additionally sees Nagoya as a super logistics hub following Japan’s trucking work-style reforms launched in 2024.
“With reforms affecting truck drivers, it’s becoming difficult to make round trips between the Kanto and Kansai regions within a single day,” Sugimoto defined. “Nagoya sits in the middle, so it can serve as an important relay point.”
During a media tour held on May twenty sixth, reporters entered the warehouse, the place temperatures within the storage space are maintained at minus 25 levels Celsius.
“The space is enormous, and if you stand still for too long, you feel like you could freeze,” Takigawa stated.
A towel soaked in water froze stable inside moments contained in the storage zone. The warehouse, which reaches the equal peak of a second- to fifth-floor constructing, is designed to accommodate a variety of cargo.
Frozen meals introduced into the ability are managed via a totally automated system, permitting the variety of employees contained in the freezer space to be decreased to roughly one-quarter of standard operations.
The facility can be addressing environmental issues linked to refrigerants.
“Many freezer warehouses still use fluorocarbon refrigerants, but we need to transition away from them,” Sugimoto stated.
The warehouse makes use of environmentally pleasant pure refrigerants as an alternative of fluorocarbons. Advanced economies are being required to chop hydrofluorocarbon utilization by 85% by 2036 as a part of world efforts to scale back greenhouse gasoline emissions.
The transition is affecting not solely chilly storage warehouses, but additionally air conditioners, show circumstances and merchandising machines, forcing firms throughout industries to undertake non-fluorocarbon applied sciences.
Another eye-catching characteristic of the brand new facility is its futuristic workplace area.
“The office looks like the cockpit of a spaceship,” Takigawa stated. “At first glance, the central desk appears empty, but it contains built-in monitors.”
The workplace was designed with a near-futuristic theme and permits workers to observe situations contained in the warehouse remotely. The aim, firm officers say, is to fully change public perceptions of logistics work.
“We want to erase the image that working in frozen warehouses means enduring minus 25-degree conditions,” Sugimoto stated. “Even though it’s a freezer warehouse, workers no longer need to operate directly in those harsh temperatures. We hope this leads to a new style of work reform.”
Experts say Japan’s chilly storage {industry} faces mounting challenges past labor shortages.
“Working for long periods in extremely low temperatures is physically exhausting,” stated Yuji Yano, professor at Ryutsu Keizai University. “Unless wages are exceptionally high, workers would rather choose other types of warehouses.”
Yano added that older chilly storage services are more and more changing into out of date as a result of environmental rules and rising development prices.
“Older freezer and refrigerated warehouses are gradually becoming unusable,” he stated. “Construction costs today are overwhelmingly higher than in the past, making rebuilding difficult. If existing warehouses can no longer be used, supply capacity could decline significantly.”
Despite these challenges, demand for frozen meals in Japan stays sturdy, guaranteeing continued want for freezer and refrigerated warehouses.
Climate change can be rising the significance of temperature-controlled logistics.
“Even products like chocolate now require temperature-controlled storage,” Yano defined. “Because of rising temperatures, goods increasingly need to be stored in climate-controlled warehouses from around Golden Week onward.”
As frozen meals stay an important a part of fashionable life, specialists say additional enhancements to labor situations and logistics techniques might be crucial.
“Frozen food logistics involve particularly harsh working conditions,” Yano stated. “Compared with other products, the potential benefits of automation and mechanization are much greater.”
Source: CBC