Material handling is important to ensure the success of food & grocery distribution and production facilities. It involves the movement, packaging, and storage of substances in their raw or finished form. This includes all movements within a food plant, from receiving raw materials to processing, packaging, and storing finished products. The food and beverage industry encompasses a variety of companies involved in processing raw food materials, packaging, and distributing them, including fresh, prepared foods, packaged foods, and beverages. Grocery wholesalers and retailers use material handling solutions to optimize their operations, reducing costs and increasing efficiency. Self-distributing retailers, in particular, benefit from controlling and moving products within their own warehouses, enabling them to respond quickly to changing market demands. Food production involves transforming raw ingredients into prepared food products and includes industries that convert raw food products into marketable food items.
Proper planning and coordination are essential to ensure seamless material handling operations, in addition to employing well-trained staff necessary to operate and maintain the equipment. Material handling also involves integrating lean manufacturing practices and sharing information across different industries to improve production cycles and reduce waste. Security and speed are critical factors in material handling equipment design, particularly in the food industry where product quality and safety are paramount.
When choosing equipment for your facility, it’s essential to consider important factors such as food safety. Make sure that the equipment is FDA-approved and easy to clean to maintain a sanitary environment. The FDA regularly updates its food handling guidelines, and working with a local specialist can help ensure adherence to standards for safe and professional handling practices. The Baking Industry Sanitation Standards Committee (BISSC) publishes voluntary standards for bakery equipment while the EU Food Contact Regulation and FDA/USDA regulations specify labeling requirements and materials for food contact. Understanding the significance of food and grocery material handling, and implementing effective equipment and processes, can help food manufacturers and wholesalers ensure the quality, safety, and efficiency of their operations.
The types of material handling equipment can vary depending on the needs of your operation. They include, but are not limited to, belt conveyors, which are commonly used in food handling applications and suitable for transporting raw materials, products, and packaging. Other types of equipment are pallet jacks, reach trucks, pallet racks, shelving, climate-controlled rooms for storing finished products, scales, and automated stretch wrappers. It is important that the equipment promotes hygiene and prevents contaminants from embedding into surfaces. Many plastic pallets feature non-porous designs and are easy to wash and sanitize for reuse. Material handling equipment for food and grocery distribution should be designed to meet regulatory standards. It should optimize storage and distribution, improve logistics, reduce costs, increase productivity, and be tailored to meet customer satisfaction and the specific challenges of each business.
Atlantic Installation specializes in providing comprehensive design and installation services, with a focus on automated or manual systems for production and distribution We can help upgrade safety protocols for your facility and streamline automation with conveyance of any size. Additionally, we can assist with implementing robust inventory management systems and flexible order processing to meet changing customer demands. Contact us to design a solution for your distribution center.
