F-Line Japan Major Food Distribution Center
⭐Key Features
- •Ultra-dense storage for 1,150,000 cases
- •Mixed-case palletizing of items with varying frequencies, sizes, weights, and shapes
- •Pallet Shuttle system (Shuttle Rack L) for large-lot products
- •Pallet AS/RS for rack-side case picking
- •Mini Load AS/RS for case storage
- •Robotic depalletization and palletization
- •AGVs and STVs (Sorting Transfer Vehicles) for pallet transport
- •Vision recognition systems
📊Results & Benefits
- ✓90,000 cases shipped daily
- ✓Achieved ultra-dense storage capacity
- ✓Labor savings through automation
- ✓Space savings through high-density systems
- ✓Enabled mixed palletizing across diverse product characteristics
🎯Challenges & Solutions
Automating food logistics with a wide variety of fast- and slow-moving items, each requiring a custom handling solution.
Implemented a multi-system automation approach with dedicated technologies (Shuttle Rack, Pallet AS/RS, Mini Load AS/RS, robots) tailored to different product types and order profiles.
📝Project Overview
Project Overview
This project involved the creation of a highly automated, high-tech distribution center for F-Line, a major food distributor in Japan. The facility was designed to serve as a dynamic showcase for the future of food logistics, tackling the complex challenge of automating the handling of a vast assortment of products with varying demand patterns (fast- and slow-moving).
The primary business need was to develop custom automated solutions for different product types within a single facility. The goals were to achieve ultra-dense storage for a massive inventory, enable efficient daily shipment of a high volume of cases, and master the complex task of mixed-case palletizing for store-ready orders.
Technical Solution
Pallet Shuttle System (Shuttle Rack L)
For large-lot products, the facility utilizes a high-density Pallet Shuttle system known as Shuttle Rack L. This system uses autonomous shuttles that run on rails within the racking to store and retrieve pallets deep within the storage lanes, maximizing storage density for bulk items.
Momentum WES: Next-Generation Warehouse Execution and Control
Vendor: Honeywell Intelligrated
Key Features
The integration of multiple high-density storage technologies—Shuttle Rack, Pallet AS/RS, and Mini Load AS/RS—enables the facility to store an immense total of 1,150,000 cases in an ultra-dense configuration.
The robotic palletizing systems, guided by vision recognition, are capable of building mixed pallets from the full spectrum of product types, regardless of picking frequency, size, weight, or shape, which is critical for store delivery efficiency.
The solution represents a complete, multi-technology automation ecosystem tailored to food logistics, with specific systems assigned to bulk storage, case storage, transport, and the complex tasks of depalletizing and mixed-case palletizing.
Results & Benefits
The facility achieves a high daily throughput, successfully shipping 90,000 cases per day to meet distribution demands.
The automated systems deliver significant labor savings by replacing manual tasks in storage, retrieval, and pallet building, while the high-density designs also contribute to substantial space savings compared to conventional warehousing.
The core capability of mixed-case palletizing has been successfully automated, allowing the distributor to efficiently build store-specific orders from a highly diverse product range, optimizing the last leg of the supply chain.
Challenges & Solutions
The fundamental challenge was designing an automated system for a food distribution center with an extremely diverse product mix, where a one-size-fits-all solution would not work. Daifuku addressed this by designing and integrating a suite of complementary technologies. Dedicated systems like the Pallet Shuttle handle bulk goods, the Mini Load AS/RS manages case flow, and flexible robots with vision handle the variable task of building mixed pallets, creating a tailored solution for each product type and process step.
System Integrator
Daifuku was the lead system integrator for this comprehensive project. They provided the design and integration of the complete material handling system, including the Pallet Shuttle system (Shuttle Rack L), the Pallet AS/RS, the Mini Load AS/RS, the robotic depalletizing/palletizing cells, and the AGV/STV transport network.
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📚Related Knowledge Articles (5)
Shuttle Systems
Shuttle systems use autonomous vehicles traveling on rails within racking structures to store and retrieve totes or cartons, providing flexible high-density automated storage with scalable throughput.
AGV Tugger
AGV tuggers are automated guided vehicles that tow trains of carts or trailers through warehouses and manufacturing facilities, efficiently moving large volumes of materials along fixed routes.
AGV Unit Load
AGV unit load vehicles are automated guided vehicles designed to transport individual pallets, containers, or large items along fixed routes, providing reliable, predictable material movement in warehouses and manufacturing facilities.
Robotic Palletizer
Advanced robotic palletizing systems that combine industrial robotics with intelligent software to provide flexible, precise, and efficient automated palletizing solutions for diverse product types and packaging requirements.
Multi-Robot Orchestration
Intelligent fleet management systems that coordinate multiple autonomous robots to work together efficiently, optimizing task allocation, traffic management, and resource utilization across complex warehouse environments.
