Automated Cold Storage for Frozen Bakery Production
How do you automate frozen bakery storage without compromising product quality?
Moffett Automation helps baked goods manufacturers move pallets from production into frozen storage faster, with less manual handling, better temperature stability and more efficient use of space. In this project, Moffett Automation delivered a high-density automated cold-store solution for a major European baked goods producer, designed to support continuous throughput, protect product quality and scale with future demand.
| Industry | Frozen bakery / bread production |
| Operating temperature | -18°C |
| Pallet Capacity | 11,900 pallet locations |
| Pallet Shuttles | 15 Moffett Automation Taxi pallet shuttles |
| Throughput | Throughput: 40 pallets per hour inbound / 90 pallets per hour outbound |
| VTUs | 5 Moffett Automation VTUs |
| Integration Scope | Full WMS integration |
| Project Location | European bakery production facility |
| Year of Deployment | 2020 |
Overview
A leading European baked goods manufacturer needed a more efficient way to transfer high volumes of baked product from production into frozen storage while maintaining product quality and supporting a demanding production schedule.
The challenge was not simply to create more storage capacity. The site needed a system that could connect production and storage more effectively, operate reliably in a frozen environment, reduce manual intervention and support long-term output growth.
Moffett Automation designed and delivered a high-density automated cold-store solution built to improve product flow, protect sub-zero conditions and create a more scalable storage process.
Challenges Presented
Frozen bakery storage under production pressure
Frozen bakery storage creates a specific operational challenge. Product must move from production into frozen conditions quickly enough to protect freshness, structure and consistency, while the storage system must also keep pace with output and operate reliably in a harsh cold-store environment.
For this customer, the core challenges included reducing the time between production and frozen storage, maintaining reliable pallet movement at -18°C, avoiding bottlenecks between production and storage, reducing forklift traffic and manual handling, increasing storage density and supporting future throughput growth.
The customer needed more than automated storage. They needed a cold-store system that functioned as an efficient extension of production.
Storage Transformed
A high-density automated cold-store system from Moffett Automation
Moffett Automation delivered an integrated cold-store solution designed around speed, storage density, control and reliability in frozen conditions.
Direct transfer from production to frozen storage: Pallets are transferred directly from production into the automated cold store, helping reduce exposure to ambient conditions and supporting a faster transition into frozen storage.
Reliable operation in sub-zero conditions: The Moffett Automation system is designed to perform consistently in temperatures down to -18°C, supporting dependable pallet movement in a demanding frozen bakery environment.
High-density pallet storage: The system maximises available space while maintaining efficient storage and retrieval, supporting both short-term buffering and longer-term frozen storage.
Intelligent pallet movement with Moffett Automation Taxi pallet shuttles: Moffett Automation Taxi pallet shuttles enable fast, precise pallet transport throughout the cold store. The architecture is designed to scale, allowing additional Taxi pallet shuttles to be introduced as throughput requirements increase.
Temperature protection and energy control: Controlled access points and high-speed door operation help reduce warm air ingress during pallet transfer, supporting temperature stability, product integrity and efficient cold-store operation.
Integration with production flow: The system was designed to work in line with upstream production processes and wider warehouse controls, reducing delays, manual intervention and internal traffic while improving the flow of product from line to storage.
Why The Solution Worked
This project succeeded because the system was designed around the full operational requirement, not just the storage requirement. Moffett Automation combined fast transfer from production into frozen storage, reliable performance in a harsh cold-store environment, high-density storage, autonomous pallet transport, reduced manual cold-store handling, smoother integration between production and storage, and scalability for future growth.
That matters because frozen bakery operations depend on consistent movement, stable conditions and process control. Storage has to keep up with production. When it does not, quality, efficiency, labour and energy performance all come under pressure.
Results
Results
The Moffett Automation system delivered a faster, safer and more efficient frozen bakery storage process, with measurable improvements in throughput, storage density and temperature control.
Outbound throughput increased to 90 pallets per hour, supporting faster movement from frozen storage to dispatch and helping the operation keep pace with production demand. The system also increased storage capacity to 11,900 pallet locations, representing a 65% improvement in storage density and allowing the customer to make significantly better use of the available footprint.
Controlled transfer points also improved cold-store performance. Door opening time was reduced to 4 seconds per pallet, delivering a 40% reduction in door opening time and helping to limit warm air ingress during pallet movement. This supports more stable frozen conditions, improved energy efficiency and better protection of product quality.
By combining high-density storage, automated pallet movement and tighter environmental control, the Moffett Automation solution created a scalable frozen bakery storage system designed to support future growth without requiring a redesign of the core storage concept.
Benefits of Automated Frozen Bakery Storage
Automated storage helps baked goods manufacturers:
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- Move product into frozen conditions faster
- Protect product quality and consistency
- Reduce manual handling in sub-zero environments
- Improve storage density and space utilisation
- Support higher throughput with better control
- Reduce bottlenecks between production and storage
- Create a more scalable cold-store operation
Frozen Bakery Automation FAQs
What is automated storage?
Automated storage in a baked goods manufacturing environment uses controlled pallet handling technology to move and store frozen bakery products with less reliance on manual forklift movement. It helps manufacturers improve throughput, reduce manual intervention and maintain stable sub-zero storage conditions.
Why is speed important in bakery goods storage?
Speed matters because baked products need to move into frozen conditions quickly to help protect freshness, texture, structure and consistency. Delays between production and storage can put product quality and process efficiency under pressure.
Can an automated storage system work in sub-zero temperatures?
Yes. Moffett Automation systems can be designed to operate reliably in frozen environments down to -25°C, depending on the application and project scope.
What are the main benefits of automation in a bakery cold store?
The main benefits are faster transfer into storage, reduced manual handling, improved throughput, better use of space, stronger temperature control and a more scalable process.
Can the Moffett Automation system integrate with production and warehouse software?
Yes. Moffett Automation solutions can be designed to integrate with upstream production processes, warehouse control systems, WMS platforms and ERP systems to support smoother pallet flow and operational visibility.
