TOKYO - Japan Access, Japan's leading general food wholesaler, is expanding the potential of food logistics with frozen-to-chilled processing, a system that stores products frozen and thaws them only when orders arrive before shipping them to retailers as chilled goods.
Wholesalers play a key role in the food supply chain by purchasing products from manufacturers and delivering them to retailers efficiently and reliably. Japan Access handles about 700,000 items, delivering foods across all temperature ranges, including shelf-stable, refrigerated and frozen products, to supermarkets and other sales floors. The company is especially strong in low-temperature products, covering both frozen and chilled goods, and its sales in the field stand out within the industry.
At one of Japan Access's logistics bases, products sent from manufacturers are stored in freezers and then thawed in quantities that match orders from retailers. The process, known as frozen-to-chilled, allows chilled products with short shelf lives to be kept frozen for long periods until they are ready to be shipped. For manufacturers, this means they can produce large volumes more efficiently without worrying as much about food waste from unsold inventory.
The logistics of frozen foods are also evolving. At a large distribution center serving more than 300 stores in the Tokyo metropolitan area, about 10,000 cases of frozen foods are sorted and shipped each day by store.
A machine called a case shuttle rack automatically sorts various products sent by manufacturers according to their delivery destinations. Since the system was introduced, sorting errors have been eliminated and work efficiency has improved 2.5-fold compared with previous methods. The system also reduces the amount of manual labor required in the harsh environment of minus 23 degrees Celsius, allowing products to be delivered more accurately.
Japan Access is also developing its own products, despite being a wholesaler. The company has held a unique event called Chin! Suru Restaurant, where visitors can eat all the frozen foods they want. By directly gathering consumer feedback, Japan Access works with manufacturers in its network to develop private-label products.
The company is drawing attention for the largely unseen logistics services that support daily meals and the food products that reach household tables across Japan.
Source: テレ東BIZ
