Inside Americold’s Cold Storage Chain Upgrade: A Smarter, More Flexible ASRS

Wade Pankratz | 15 July 2025

Americold is a global leader in temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics. With more than 175 facilities worldwide, the company is known for its ability to adapt to the evolving demands of food logistics. At its Indianapolis, Indiana site, Americold had already taken a major step toward automation in 2011 by working with viastore North America—now part of Bastian Solutions—to install a high-density automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS).

To better serve customers and improve operations, Americold re-engaged the viastore team for a strategic upgrade. The result: a smarter, more adaptable cold storage facility built to handle today’s demands and tomorrow’s growth.

See the full transformation and technology specs in the Americold customer story.

Why Cold Storage Automation Needs the Right Partner

Automating cold storage comes with its operational challenges—condensation, constrained space, varying temperature zones, and the need to minimize workers' time in sub-zero environments. Getting it right means understanding how systems interact in real conditions.

“You need people with an in-depth knowledge of automated system capabilities and software interfaces. You can’t run an automated system the same way as a conventional one,” said David Bridger, ASRS Operations Manager at Americold.

That mindset shaped Americold’s decision to return to viastore when the original ASRS design began to fall short. As customer profiles changed, so did the speed, flexibility, and labor efficiency requirements, leading to a collaborative upgrade approach built around simulation, customization, and real-world performance data.

Responding to Change: When Material Handling Automation Needs to Evolve

The original ASRS was designed to take advantage of vertical space on a tight property footprint. It added 21,000 pallet positions in a 110-foot-tall, rack-supported structure equipped with viapal ASRS cranes and a conveyor-fed pallet handling system. The system was built for single-stack pallets and a balanced mix of full and partial pallet handling.

That all changed when a key customer shifted their fulfillment profile. Americold needed to accommodate a new product flow: double-stacked freezer pallets, increased case picking, and half-pallet loads ready for direct shipping. These changes pushed the system beyond its intended capabilities.

The conveyor system became congested. Picking became labor-intensive. Service windows were harder to hit. Even with strong baseline automation, Americold saw that optimizing for new operational needs would require more than software tweaks or process changes.

Partnering on a Smarter ASRS Solution

To find the right upgrade path, Americold and viastore worked together using simulation software to test different configurations. The goal was to address system bottlenecks, increase flexibility, and reduce manual labor, without tearing everything down.

Key upgrades included:

• Semi-automated de-coupling area: Double-stacked pallets are now separated outside the ASRS, allowing half-pallets to go directly to shipping or back into reserve storage. This change significantly cut down on time-consuming case picking.
• Multi-directional conveyor crossovers: These relieve congestion by allowing pallets to return to cranes or exit the system more efficiently during inbound and outbound surges.
• Expanded temperature flexibility: The ASRS supports two changeable zones, ranging from -10°F to 34°F, with hardware built to handle cold storage demands.
• Software integration improvements: Communication between viastore’s WMS and Americold’s RedPrairie system was upgraded for faster, more accurate flow control.
• Pack and Hold staging: A repurposed area within the ASRS allows outbound-ready pallets to be held until trailers arrive, keeping docks clear and loading more efficient.

These changes made the system more adaptable to shifting demands and more ergonomic for employees.

The Payoff of Distribution Automation: Higher Productivity, Less Labor, More Flexibility

Following the upgrades, Americold saw measurable improvements:

• 25% boost in labor efficiency through streamlined handling processes
• 43% increase in crane throughput year over year
• 50% reduction in case picking by sending half-pallet loads directly to shipping
• Improved safety and ergonomics with fewer strenuous picking tasks
• System flexibility to support 10–20 customer profiles, up from a single dedicated account

The Indianapolis facility is better equipped to serve a broader range of customer needs without major reconfiguration. That kind of flexibility is critical for a 3PL provider operating in cold storage.

A Cold Chain Built for What’s Next

The Indianapolis facility was Americold’s first ASRS implementation. With the system now optimized, the company wants to expand automation to other locations. Their experience shows how even well-built systems may need to evolve as customer requirements change, and that strategic upgrades can extend the value of existing infrastructure.

The viastore North America team, now part of Bastian Solutions, brings deep experience in cold storage automation, system modernization and WMS integration. For companies considering how to scale smarter, Americold’s upgrade offers a real-world example of how to get it right.

To learn more about the full solution and system specifications, read the full customer story.

Considering automation for your cold storage operations? Whether you're upgrading an existing system or planning a new implementation, speak with a Bastian Solutions engineer to explore the right solution for your warehouse or distribution center.

Author: Wade Pankratz