Ceres Fruit Growers uses mobile racking solution to decrease operating costs

Due to the high throughput distribution environment of perishable produce, Ceres Fruit Growers sought to increase its storage capacity, while also maintaining its full product accessibility and improving its air circulation.

To accomplish its goals, Ceres Fruit Growers purchased a mobile racking solution. In doing so, the company has not only expanded its storage capacity, it has also decreased its operating costs and improved its product shelf life.

“We have been utilizing [the racking solution] in our produce distribution facilities, which has allowed us to increase our practical storage capacity by 75% to 80% and decrease our energy costs due to improved air circulation,” says Deon Schickerling, electrical and refrigeration manager at Ceres Fruit Growers. “We have numerous aisles moving simultaneously, which provides not only full accessibility to each pallet location, but the speed we need in our high turn environment.”

Energy costs are a major contributor to cold storage facilities’ overall operating expenditures. By eliminating and replacing static access aisles with moveable aisles, facilities can increase their storage capacity within the same building footprint.

Perishable cold storage environments balance the maximization of storage capacity with temperature and humidity control. When air circulation is optimized, product is able to maintain its shelf life and, in the case of Ceres Fruit Growers, set-point temperature was raised—saving energy and operating costs.

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