Cold chain cold storage
Higher construction costs and longer commissioning lead times, combined with complex and costly day to day operations make it imperative that a cold storage warehouse is running as efficiently as possible. This is where a best-of-breed Cold Chain Warehouse Management System (WMS) technology solution can prove invaluable in helping to ensure optimised cold storage operations.
An indispensable cold storage warehousing tool
A leading food manufacturer needed an end-to-end warehouse management system software solution that would support customer requirements, enhance traceability, improve accuracy and remove complexity from its cold storage operations. The company needed to find a way to eliminate paper-based recordkeeping from its cold chain operations and automate day-to-day processes, which in turn would mean improved decision-making, better inventory control and increased all-around efficiency.
Implementing Indigo WMS in its operations led to a significant improvement in its day-to-day process efficiencies, including a 20% reduction in time needed to process goods arriving in the warehouse.
Benefits of cold chain cold storage WMS
Why choose Indigo Software?
A good cold chain warehouse management system will optimise every stage of your cold storage warehousing operations from inbound to outbound. A WMS will handle any task in real-time from receiving, to putaway, to picking, to packing and shipping. A WMS will efficiently address the complex cold storage warehousing issues of stock rotation (FIFO, LIFO, FEFO, customer specific, batching), cross contamination, blast freezer dwell-time move / hold / release, quality control and best before / expiration dates including moving products between the chiller / freezer and automatically updating expiry dates. All of these help to improve cold store safety for chilled / frozen goods and also significantly contribute to reducing warehouse wastage.
Product traceability is also an important factor in cold storage due to the legal repercussions of an ever stricter regulatory landscape. If there are any storage temperature control issues in any part of the warehouse, finding these affected products is easily achieved using the accurate and up to date product and location information provided by a WMS.
A WMS will improve inventory space utilisation in your cold chain warehouse by up to 30% without any adverse effect on efficiency levels. This is achieved because a WMS makes it possible to store inventory in a much more flexible way, using dynamic location settings. Rather than keeping to pre-designated locations – some of which could be half empty – a WMS directs operatives to place the stock wherever there is an applicable slot available. When it is time to pick orders, pickers are reminded of where stock is held in your temperature controlled warehouse and directed to the closest relevant location.
Indigo WMS is an award winning, best-of-breed warehouse management solution proven in numerous business critical operations around the globe. Indigo has been an expert in warehousing solutions for over 40 years and has extensive experience in implementing WMS solutions in cold chain storage particularly in the food and drinks sector. Indigo’s extensive and referenceable list of food and drink customers include: Greene King, Samworths, Ginsters, Greencore Foods, McCabes, Loch Lomond Group, Blue Earth Foods and Oscar Mayer.
Indigo’s team of highly knowledgeable consultants have extensive real-world experience in a cold storage warehouse setting, ensuring a practical and business process focused solution, rather than just an IT led solution. Our ethos is to do the right things in the best possible way.
Indigo can also supply all of your cold storage warehouse management hardware needs. WMS hardware equipment such as barcode scanners, label printers, batteries, LCD screens and wireless infrastructure all need to be specially adapted in order to be able to cope with the extreme temperatures, frost and condensation in a cold storage warehouse. Without these special adaptations warehouses are at risk of lost productivity as well as additional repair and replacement costs. Voice picking hardware is also particularly valuable in a freezer or refrigerated warehousing setting as it will allow employees to wear suitable clothing to protect their skin without reducing their efficiency.
Keep your cold storage warehouse running smoothly
Whether your inventory is food (fruits, vegetables, seafood, meat, dairy), drinks, pharmaceuticals, medicines, cosmetics, plants, flowers, textiles, film or any other goods that need to be kept at an optimal temperature then Indigo WMS can help keep your cold store warehousing operations running smoothly and efficiently.
Cold Hard Facts
Read Indigo Software’s Cold Storage Operator’s Guide to Advanced Warehouse Management Systems ebook to discover more detail about our cold chain solutions.
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