www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER NOVEMBER 2016 9
Trends and perspectives
The industry calls facilities like Matson's automated
storage and retrieval systems, or ASRS.
Matson's cost disparity is on par in the worldwide cold
storage industry, said Corey Rosenbusch, president and
CEO of the Global Cold Chain Alliance, which is based in
Alexandria, Virginia, and represents cold storage com-
panies across the globe. "The technology is not cheap,"
he said.
But the cost difference between conventional and
ASRS facilities is getting narrower in the new age of
automation, he said. New construction of cold stor-
age runs anywhere from $115 to $170 per square foot.
Conventionally built systems fall on the lower end of the
spectrum, with ASRS on the higher end.
The benefits include lower energy costs, cheaper fire
suppression, a safer work environment and more effi-
cient use of labor. A 2013 report by a consortium of cold
storage industry organizations estimated an annual labor
cost savings of $2.7 million per year for a facility with
an 18-worker shift and each employee costing roughly
Jordan Matson, who oversees packing and shipping
for Matson Fruit, stands on a crane at the company's
automated cold storage facility in Selah, Washington.
Pallets of fruit are automatically stored and retrieved with
robotic dollies and cranes instead of forklifts.
