This time, we will sneak into Nichirei Logistics Group's Funabashi Logistics Center.

The center receives approximately 6,000 kinds of products, ranging from frozen foods for household/comercial use to foods that require temperature control, such as ice cream and pizza dough.

The Funabashi Distribution Center has a refrigeration capacity of 101,267 tons. This is equivalent to about 500,000 standard household refrigerators (500L).

The center serves as a logistics base for a wide variety of customers, mainly in the Kanto area, who ship products that require refrigeration and frozen foods.
The Funabashi Distribution Center is the largest of the Nichirei Logistics Group's approximately 80 storage-type distribution centers located nationwide.

The Funabashi Distribution Center has four buildings, each with different storage temperature zones and facilities.

Even though we have vast refrigeration capacity, there is a limit to the amount we can store.
Therefore, we ask shippers to make reservations for incoming cargo at least two days before, and we decide in advance which locations in the warehouse will be used for storage.

Drivers are also asked to make reservations through the Truck Berth Reservation System. The order of trucks to be unloaded at the berths on the same day and the work arrangements are also decided in advance.

On the day of arrival, trucks arriving at the Funabashi Distribution Center first make a reservation inquiry.

The system checks for consistency with the incoming schedule, such as where the truck came from, what it is loaded with, and when it will be ready for unloading.

Sasaki, who is in charge of liaison with shippers, describes the effectiveness of the Truck Berth Reservation System.

When the trucks are ready to enter the warehouse, they finally go to the berths where they will be unloaded. The cargo is unloaded in a space called the cargo handling area.

The temperature in the cargo handling area is kept lower than the outside temperature.
However, there is inevitably a gap between the trucks and the cargo handling area.

In the cold chain (low-temperature logistics), where temperature control is critical, contact with the outside air is a major enemy.

In order to prevent outside air from entering the berths, we have installed "dock shelters" to close the gap between the truck beds and the berths as much as possible.

In addition, blankets and air-tight devices are placed over the gaps to prevent outside air infiltration, thereby minimizing contact with the outside air. This is a device to prevent melting and quality deterioration of products.

After unloading the cargo onto the cargo handling area, the inspection process begins immediately.

The workers on site carry special tablets. The tablet allows them to view data on incoming goods, and barcodes on the cases can be scanned or photographed on the tablet for verification. Other boxes are also visually checked for any abnormalities.

Nakano, who is in charge of on-site operations at the Funabashi Distribution Center, which mainly handles frozen foods, inspects products while alternately pointing at them and at a tablet.

After inspection, the products are taken to the storage area on the floor above using the elevator.

Hagiwara, who is in charge of controlling the quantity of goods for the entire Funabashi Distribution Center, enthusiastically states, "Speed is the key to receiving goods."

Goods that have been moved from the area to the elevator are handed over to the forklift of the worker in charge of the storage floor. Finally, they are transported to the storage area.

The storage area is divided into several storage vaults.

The Funabashi Distribution Center has a total of 126 storage units in four buildings, and the internal temperature is set according to the products to be stored.

This time, we went inside the storage area where frozen foods for household use are stored.
The entrance is separated by a thick door. In addition, the top of the door is equipped with a freezer that automatically operates when the temperature inside the storage changes by opening and closing the door, and an air curtain that blocks outside air from entering the storage as much as possible, thus thoroughly maintaining the temperature.

Inside this storage room are two shelves, one on top of the other. Each shelf is numbered, and the number is the "address" of the product, so to speak.

A standard working time after entering the room is established. This is to minimize temperature changes in the storage area. Forklift operators are required to be not only quick, but also careful and precise to avoid damaging the goods.

Hagiwara revealed the secret to the smooth transport of the cargo from the truck to the storage facility: "It is the result of close communication among the workers."

In this issue, we introduced how products are received and stored at a storage-type logistics center, one of the key components of the cold chain (low-temperature logistics).

To see how products leave the distribution center, please refer to [Part 3: Why aren't the warehouses full? The Mystery of Cold Storage Warehouses]!