Magnavale has appointed Swisslog as the automation partner for its new cold storage facility in the UK, as construction progresses on the project. The site will provide 90,000 fully automated frozen pallet positions, addressing a shortage of high-capacity cold storage in the Southwest of England and South Wales.
Site levelling has been completed and piling work for the foundations is underway. The facility will include an approximately 45 m high clad-rack automated high-bay warehouse (around 148 ft), operated using Swisslog’s SynQ software for real-time stock visibility, load sequencing, and FEFO/FIFO management.
The system design eliminates a single point of failure, incorporating a monorail with multiple entry points to maintain operations during disruptions. Inline pallet rectification and profile-checking stations are included, and the installation will handle CHEP, Euro, and UK standard pallets up to 2.25 m in height (about 7.4 ft) and 1,250 kg (approx. 2,756 lb).
The facility will also feature value-added services such as picking, packing, labelling, blast freezing, date coding, and export handling. It will operate بالكامل on renewable energy and include a low oxygen atmosphere fire suppression chamber to reduce reliance on water-based systems.
Magnavale previously worked with Swisslog on its Easton site in Lincolnshire, and the Bristol project builds on that system with adaptations for the new location. Upon completion, the facility is intended to strengthen regional cold chain infrastructure and support supply chain resilience for food businesses in the UK.
