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As we prepare for the launch of our new 101,000-pallet cold store, Magnavale Easton, we are excited to share the installation of high-speed monorails. Installation began in July 2023, with the monorail system being one of the most technically challenging aspects of the overall infrastructure. The construction took 4 months, wrapping up in mid-November, at which point the expansive track was completed. Spanning almost half a kilometre, the monorail system’s track extends over two levels within the facility.
These monorails are a cutting-edge feature of our infrastructure, as they can dynamically adapt their speed to match the volume of pallets entering the cold store, guaranteeing efficiency and flexibility for our intake process. Each of the 54 individual trolleys can carry more than 1200 kg and are maintained via specially designed maintenance areas on each level. While the mechanical specifications of the monorail system are deeply impressive, the advanced control system enables optimal throughput efficiency by adapting the speed of individual trolleys.
Designed for resiliency, the cold storage facility features multiple access points to avoid bottlenecks amid peak holiday periods. The design features built-in redundancy planning, with no single points of failure. This effectively prevents disruption risk during periods of heightened operational demand, which is particularly important during peak seasons, such as Christmas.
Combining speed, responsiveness and resilience, these monorails represent the backbone of our fully automated cold store. Alongside blast freezing, contract packing, and other cold chain services integrated onsite, Magnavale Easton aims to revolutionise cold chains, cutting unnecessary cost, risk, and complexity.
The mezzanine levels of the Easton development, which are located directly above the intake and dispatch bays are designed so that stock can be efficiently retrieved from the automated warehouse and delivered, vertically via the monorail directly to the start of packing, date-coding and other processing lines, with no human intervention.
Set to become the most efficient cold store in Europe, alongside the automated features, the facility will run entirely on renewable energy, making the cold store a sustainable option for our partners.
Magnavale’s Chief Operating Officer, Amanda Cogan, comments, “We are excited to see our development coming together. The incorporation of automated cranes and the recent addition of the monorail system at Magnavale Easton signify a significant evolution in temperature-controlled storage. The Easton facility holds particular significance for us, not merely due to its size or technological advancements, but more importantly, because of the pivotal role it is poised to play in enhancing food production in Lincolnshire and supporting our partners in the surrounding area.”
We are delighted with the progress of the development and are on schedule to complete Q3 this year.
Sadel Group
28 Avenue Pasteur,
L-2310 Luxembourg