Dot Foods Plans 1st Automated Warehouse

Food industry redistributor Dot Foods is working with Atlanta-based software company Dematic on its first fully automated warehouse. The 117,000-square-foot facility will be a key asset for Dot Foods frozen food distribution, and handle the large volume out of Mt. Sterling, Ill., where it maintains its headquarters. 

Construction will begin in the new year, with plans to be fully operational in 2021.

“We’re taking our toughest picking job in our harshest work environment and transferring that to robots,” explained Joe Tracy, Dot Foods CEO. “This is a way to address our business growth and handle the volume we know will need to move through our Mt. Sterling warehouse in the years to come. We do unique things in our business that require human touches — that will not change. The combination of people and technology will be central to our future growth and allow us to provide exceptional service to our customers.”

The facility will be powered by Dematic iQ software and feature an Automated Storage and Retrieval System to manage inventory of full pallets, along with robotics to pick product for customers.

Dot Foods is the largest food industry redistributor in North America, with 131,000 products from 1,040 food industry manufacturers. It has 11 U.S. distribution centers in California, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arizona, Delaware.