• Among the trends at this month’s Manifest supply chain and logistics event was an increasing focus on automation for cold chain environments. • Challenges include worker safety and retention, space utilization, and the need for traceability and throughput to keep up with demand, according to Hy-Tek Intralogistics, which sponsored a “Cold Chain Experience” pavilion and stage in Las Vegas. • Robotics only recently entered refrigerated spaces because of power, humidity, and equipment cost concerns in comparison with ambient storage. • However, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated automation, asfood, beverage, andpharmaceuticalcompanies and third-party logistics providers (3PLs) recognized the need to modernize cold chainoperations. • “Case picking on the food and beverage side and unit picking on the pharma side have been very manual, but we’re starting to see strong interest in fulfillment automation,” said Ray DeMelfi, senior vice president of strategic services at Hy-Tek Intralogistics. • “We started to talk about cold chain automation 10 years ago, and it was crane-based retrieval, but you still had to have some kind of interface on the front side,” he toldAutomated Warehouse.

Article Summaries:

  • Hy‑Tek Intralogistics highlighted the growing focus on automation for cold‑chain logistics at the Manifest supply‑chain event in Las Vegas. The company noted that worker safety, space constraints, and the need for traceability are driving demand for robotic solutions in refrigerated environments. While robotics were previously limited by power and humidity concerns, the COVID‑19 pandemic accelerated adoption, especially in food, beverage, and pharmaceutical fulfillment. Hy‑Tek emphasizes flexible, cost‑effective models such as robotics‑as‑a‑service and brownfield deployments, and stresses the importance of tailoring technology to specific customer needs to achieve ROI.
  • At the Manifest supply‑chain event in Las Vegas, Hy‑Tek Intralogistics highlighted growing automation in cold‑chain logistics. The company noted that worker safety, space limits, and traceability drive demand for automated picking in food, beverage, and pharmaceutical sectors. While robotics had been slow to enter refrigerated environments due to power and cost, the COVID‑19 pandemic spurred adoption. Hy‑Tek stresses flexibility, moving from fixed micro‑fulfillment centers to robotics‑as‑a‑service models and brownfield deployments that avoid costly new builds. The integrator remains hardware‑agnostic, selecting technologies that fit specific customer needs, and warns that real‑estate constraints can jeopardize ROI.

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