INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
ASSOCIATIONS NEWS
Rocco van Vuuren , director : Logistics Facility Design .
We can ’ t talk about automation without considering mechanisation – the two go hand in hand . It is important to consider socio-economic impacts , especially within the African context . The challenge lies in balancing the drive for modernisation and automation with the necessity to create employment opportunities . There is a strong European influence on modernisation , particularly driven by labour market dynamics . While Europe seeks technological solutions due to a labour shortage , Africa faces a different challenge of providing employment . The task becomes one of integrating modernisation efforts while adapting to the unique developmental challenges of the African environment .
Then there is the practical challenge of occupational health and safety in cold chain environments , particularly the tendency of operators to take extended breaks due to the harsh working conditions , even when they are wearing freezer suits . This often results in people working in heated environments within the cold chain , simultaneously and unnecessarily taking breaks .
The goods-to-person concept can be practically applied within the challenging African environment by emphasising the importance of learning from global successes and adapting them to the unique challenges and opportunities present in Africa . For instance , Amazon ' s early adoption of Autonomous Mobile Robots ( AMRs ) in 2012 showcases how these technologies have evolved and been integrated into e-commerce operations . Their revolutionary system looked at the fact that pickers spent 80 % of their time locating products and only 20 % more productively packing – and got the AMRs to do that 80 % more efficiently by bringing the items to the picker .
THE 80 / 20 PRINCIPLE
This experience in the ambient environment has even greater applicability in a cold chain environment . The 80 / 20 principle ensures that the pickers are doing the actual work required and increases productivity . The cold chain is a more difficult environment to work in – and commensurately greater benefit in bringing the frozen goods to the picker based in a comfortable room rather than a freezer , which is viable given the inherent ability to retain their temperature for some while . That way , the picker does not have to take a 20-minute break each hour with their colleagues taking advantage too .
This is another slightly different view of the traditional 80 / 20 principle : in this case 80 % of the complexity comes from 20 % of the volume . The 80 % consists of simpler , high-volume products , particularly when dealing with the diverse and intricate nature of goods in the cold chain . The more complex 20 % items can be treated in some different fashion .
A focus on the 80 % simpler , highvolume products opens the door to mechanisation . Once we no longer rely on the picker to carry , for instance , 20kg of chicken , it can be accomplished by assisted lifting and workstation ergonomics . It is easy to do so but requires a stationary workplace as they are cumbersome and cannot easily move between aisles .
What one hears more and more – in the many talks and discussions on the cold chain – is that trucks and AGVs are starting to work more in sync with people and become part of the ecosystem , the same way that the pallet jack and the forklift has become part of the ecosystem , because they are each particularly good at what they do .
Another area almost everyone is looking at is battery-storage of energy , which is being rolled out for refrigerated trucks for their lower cost of energy . Those batteries can also then supply the power grid the rest of the time . If one looks at static energy storage , there ' s only a certain number of cycles to be gotten out of a static storage battery . Using a vehicle that ' s simultaneously topping itself up while being driven is potentially a better use of battery technology . There ' s a number of cross benefits that come into the mix which will be interesting to see pan out in the local market .
The nature of the product being manufactured has a direct bearing on the potential for automation , and in the cold chain they are typically low value items . It will probably not be feasible for the next five years , which is why the focus at the moment is on early adopters .
Another factor that drives the adoption of automation in Europe is the cost of land , and this is increasing in South Africa . There is also the marketing opportunity of a company driving around in a fancy electric truck with consumers exclaiming , “ wow , this is the future ”.
The issue of mechanisation versus full automation is an important point because not every process needs to be fully automated . There are certain processes where full automation makes sense , but there are others where just mechanising part of it makes greater sense . These include assisted lifting , improving ergonomics , making the job easier for the worker , while still retaining that human touch and human decisionmaking capability .
The landscape of automation and modernisation is evolving rapidly , and it ' s not a one-size-fits-all approach . Finding that balance between technology , application , human involvement and socio-economic considerations will be crucial for the success of these initiatives . CLA
COLD LINK AFRICA • May 2024 www . coldlinkafrica . co . za
7