Why Cold Storage Needs a Different Palletizing Playbook

Matthew Theriault-Thompson | 23 July 2025

Leaders in food production, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and other temperature-sensitive industries don’t need to be convinced of the complexity inside cold and temperature-controlled storage facilities. The constraints are familiar — freezing or chilled environments, limited time workers can safely spend in cold zones, high energy costs and strict standards for product handling. What’s less obvious is how many of these challenges are tied directly to palletizing.

Whether you’re moving finished goods into storage or staging for outbound shipping, the way pallets are handled in cold environments has a direct impact on throughput, workforce safety, and product quality.

That’s why cold storage requires a different approach to palletizing. One that reduces exposure, automates movement and keeps your operation running smoothly.

Cold Storage Conditions Redefine Palletizing Priorities

Palletizing in cold or temperature-controlled environments comes with its own set of requirements that directly impact system performance, workforce capacity, and operational throughput. Whether you're handling food, pharmaceuticals, or agricultural goods, the environment shapes every decision.

Specialized Equipment and System Design

Cold conditions—whether refrigerated or sub-zero—alter the performance of equipment. Motors require low-temp rated lubricants. Sensors can freeze or fog over. Even common packaging materials, such as shrink wrap, may react differently, becoming brittle or overly tight. Conveyors and automated systems must be constructed with components that are rated for these conditions to minimize frequent downtime and maintenance issues.

Automation plays a key role here. Pallet conveyors designed for cold environments help keep products moving smoothly, while ASRS solutions maximize vertical space and maintain throughput without the reliability issues that often arise from equipment not specifically designed for the job.

Labor and Operational Exposure

Cold storage jobs are challenging to staff and even more difficult on retention. Exposure time must be limited to protect workers, and PPE can slow down even experienced teams. The result is slower palletizing, higher risk of injury, and inconsistent throughput.

By reducing the need for manual palletizing and limiting time spent in cold storage areas through automation, facilities can enhance safety while maintaining consistent performance. It also allows teams to focus labor where it’s most effective, such as supervision, quality checks, or higher-value tasks outside of temperature-controlled areas.

Energy Efficiency and Facility Design

Temperature-controlled facilities can become high-cost operations if not planned with energy efficiency in mind. In manual warehouses, the frequent movement of lift trucks in and out of cold zones causes significant cold air loss, leading to higher energy bills and compromised temperature consistency. Forklifts also require wider aisles and lower racking, which limits the amount of product that can be stored per square foot.

Automated systems solve both issues. By reducing door cycles and enabling high-density storage through ASRS, facilities can better contain cold air and make more efficient use of every cubic foot of space. That means lower energy consumption, fewer disruptions, and long-term cost savings.

In cold storage, equipment, labor, and energy are deeply interconnected. The right systems are designed to optimize all three.

How Automation Stabilizes Cold Storage Palletizing

Automated palletizing and pallet handling systems provide consistency in environments where conditions constantly work against manual processes.

Pallet Conveyors Built for Cold Environments

Conveyors designed for use in cold or variable temperature environments are crucial for efficiently moving products through chilled zones without delays. They’re built with materials and components that can handle condensation, resist corrosion, and operate reliably in low temps. For facilities where space is tight and time is critical, conveyors reduce unnecessary travel, maintain steady product flow, and eliminate downtime caused by manual handling delays.

ASRS: Maximizing Space, Reducing Exposure, and Improving Trailer Readiness

Automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) are especially well-suited to cold storage. By utilizing vertical space efficiently, ASRS can significantly increase pallet capacity without expanding a building’s footprint. This is a major advantage in freezer or refrigerated zones, where every cubic foot is a cost consideration.

Beyond capacity, ASRS reduces human exposure to cold environments. Systems can retrieve or store pallets with minimal human interaction, protecting workers and allowing the facility to maintain a more stable output.

ASRS also helps speed up outbound logistics. Some systems allow pallets that are ready to ship to be stored in a designated level or zone, often referred to as a pack-and-hold area. This improves labor flexibility and reduces the time required to load trailers, particularly during peak shipping periods. When paired with integrated software, these systems enable faster and more accurate communication between storage operations and outbound scheduling, allowing sensitive products to spend less time waiting.

Software That Connects the System

Warehouse execution software (WES) plays a crucial role in orchestrating pallet movement, determining storage location decisions, and ensuring inventory accuracy. These systems help ensure that products are stored in the correct zone, at the optimal temperature, and retrieved in the proper sequence.

Features such as batch tracking, expiration date control, and real-time inventory visibility are essential for maintaining product integrity across various industries, especially when handling sensitive goods. With the right software in place, facilities can keep the cold chain intact, minimize redundant handling, and reduce energy use by streamlining throughput from inbound receipt to outbound shipping.

Automated pallet handling is more resilient, accurate and resource efficient. In cold storage, where operating conditions pose challenges to both personnel and equipment, automation provides a means to protect product quality, stabilize throughput, and control energy consumption, all while alleviating labor pressure.

Engineering for the Cold: What It Takes to Automate with Confidence

Building an automated palletizing system for cold storage involves considering every component, from controls to structure, to ensure reliable operation in environments that can be harsh, variable, and tightly regulated.

Cold-Rated Components

Not all automation equipment is built for sub-zero conditions. Motors, belts, and gearboxes require lubricants and materials that perform consistently in low temperatures. Sensors and controls must be designed or enclosed to prevent condensation, frost buildup, and communication failures. In freezer environments, even cabling and panel design must be carefully specified.

Condensation and Moisture Management

Temperature swings between ambient and chilled areas can introduce moisture into the system. Without proper design, moisture can freeze on contact, leading to blocked sensors, slipping belts, or even safety hazards. Effective insulation, air curtains, and moisture-resistant components are all part of the design strategy.

Thermal Zoning and System Integration

Facilities may include multiple zones with different temperatures, requiring systems that can adapt or transition between areas without disrupting flow. Integration between conveyor systems, ASRS, and warehouse software ensures that pallets are directed correctly based on product requirements, expiration dates, or shipping schedules. When designed well, these transitions occur seamlessly, even across different environmental zones.

Simulation and Pre-Implementation Planning

Cold storage facilities represent a significant investment, both to build and operate. That makes simulation software an essential part of the planning process. Modeling conveyor paths, throughput capacity, and temperature zone transitions before implementation enables more accurate decisions about equipment specifications, system layout, and long-term scalability.

Real-World Example: Americold Upgrades Cold Storage with Automation

Americold, a leading global third-party logistics provider specializing in temperature-controlled storage, had previously partnered with viastore, now merged with Bastian Solutions, to automate case picking and pallet handling at its Indianapolis, Indiana, facility. The system included a 110-foot-tall, rack-supported ASRS with more than 21,000 pallet positions and cold-rated conveyors feeding multiple storage and picking zones, designed to operate flexibly as either a cooler or a freezer.

However, as customer expectations grew and order profiles evolved, Americold identified an opportunity to further enhance its case and pallet picking rates. Working with viastore North America, they implemented targeted upgrades to address congestion, reduce unnecessary handling and streamline outbound staging.

To improve pallet and case picking rates, Americold and viastore implemented several key system upgrades:

• Dedicated de-coupling area to eliminate extra labor required to separate stacked half-pallet loads.
• Conveyor system modifications with multi-directional crossovers allow pallets to be rerouted more efficiently, either returned to storage or sent directly to shipping, reducing wait times and minimizing congestion.
• Repurposed pick tunnels into a pack-and-hold zone within the ASRS, providing outbound-ready pallets with a designated staging area to improve trailer loading times and offer more flexibility in labor planning.
• Enhanced software interfaces between the ASRS control system and Americold’s warehouse management system for faster, more accurate communication between storage and shipping operations.

The result? A 25% improvement in labor efficiency, a 50% reduction in case picking time, and a safer, more ergonomic palletizing environment for warehouse staff.

Build the Right Solution for Your Cold Storage Operation

When designing an automated palletizing system for cold storage, it is crucial to ensure that every element of the system works in harmony to support the specific needs of your operation. That’s where working with a material handling automation integrator, such as Bastian Solutions, makes a difference. From design and simulation to implementation and long-term support, Bastian Solutions brings the engineering depth and cross-industry expertise needed to ensure a seamless, scalable solution.

With the recent merger of Bastian Solutions and viastore North America, that expertise now extends even deeper into pallet handling, pallet conveyors, and ASRS technologies—especially for cold and temperature-controlled environments. Clients now benefit from a broader, more integrated portfolio of solutions backed by proven experience in cold storage automation.

Contact a Bastian Solutions engineer today to discuss your operation and explore the automation strategies that best suit your facility.

Author: Matthew Theriault-Thompson