Mitsubishi Logisnext Co., Ltd. Material handling System Development Department Material Handling Solution Engineering Division Engineering Headquarters
With its shrinking working-age population resulting from an aging society with a declining birthrate, Japan has a tendency to avoid situations necessitating work in harsh environments, thereby increasing the need for automation and reduction of required manpower. This is especially the case with manned cargo handling in freezer warehouses. The demand for automated facilities in particular will grow, as many of the freezer warehouses currently in operation, which were built in the 1970s to the 1990s, will shortly require renewal. Moreover, the cold chain business is also growing markedly across Asia region against a background of increasing population and economic growth with improved levels of income, raising the demand for temperature control-required goods such as agricultural produce and frozen foods.
Meeting such demand, Mitsubishi Logisnext Co., Ltd. has developed Japan's first laser-guided automatic-guided forklift (AGF) operable in freezer temperatures up to -25°C, and have made it available commercially since June 2022. This report presents the product.
