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Upcoming Ahold Delhaize U.S. cold facilities to be automated by Dematic

Project with Americold to help grocery retailer fuel omnichannel growth

Russell Redman

June 5, 2020

2 Min Read
Dematic cold storage.jpg
Dematic's integrated solution for Ahold Delhaize USA includes goods-in-receiving, automatic de-layering, tray handling, sortation, automatic pallet building, dispatch trailer sequencing and ergonomic case picking.Dematic

Automation specialist Dematic has been awarded a project with Americold to provide technology for two new Ahold Delhaize USA temperature-controlled warehouses.

Atlanta-based Dematic said this week that the integrated solution includes goods-in-receiving, automatic delayering, tray handling, sortation, automatic pallet building, dispatch trailer sequencing and ergonomic case picking. In mid-May, Ahold Delhaize announced a partnership with cold-storage provider Americold to build two automated frozen warehouses in Plainville, Conn., and Mountville, Pa., to serve supermarkets in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.

Dematic noted that the new facilities will be “true four-wall” automated solutions, with automated mixed-case palletizing systems to ensure cube optimization improvements. With more efficient packing, fewer trucks will be needed for delivery, and shelf-ready pallets will enable faster stocking of store shelves, the company said.

“The Dematic Center of Excellence for Grocery worked in true partnership with Americold to develop the right solution,” Bernard Biolchini, CEO of Dematic Americas, said in a statement. “These fully automated facilities, powered by Dematic iQ software, will provide immense operational flexibility, supporting an omnichannel experience and multichannel growth.”

Related:Ahold Delhaize USA taps Americold for new automated frozen warehouses

Specifically, the compact mixed-case solution will feature a Dematic high-bay unit load AS/RS for pallets and the Dematic Multishuttle for case buffering and sequencing, managed and operated by Dematic software.

“To help us offer world-class service to our customers, we were seeking an automation partner to facilitate the future hyperconnected, enabled supply chain in retail fulfillment,” said David Stuver, executive vice president of supply chain solutions for Atlanta-based Americold. “With large-scale global capabilities and innovative automation solutions, Dematic is an ideal partner to help us create state-of-the-art facilities that will help Americold transform the supply chain.”

The Plainville warehouse will serve Ahold Delhaize USA’s Stop & Shop and Hannaford stores in the Northeast and New England, and the Mountville warehouse will serve the retailer’s Giant Food, The Giant Company and Food Lion chains in the Mid-Atlantic. Plans call for the new facilities to go into operation by the fourth quarter of 2022, and the projects will expand cold storage space by 24 million cubic feet, or 500,000 square feet.

In December, Ahold announced a three-year, $480 million plan to move to an integrated, self-distribution model. The project includes the construction of the two new frozen warehouses; the acquisition of three warehouses (two in York, Pa., and one in Chester, N.Y.) from C&S Wholesale Grocers; and new leases for a renovated warehouse in Manchester, Conn., and a C&S facility in Bethlehem, Pa.

Related:Ahold Delhaize USA plans major supply-chain expansion

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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