The scope of work provided by A M King includes 16,600 square feet of freezer, cooler dock and second floor engine room addition and conversion of 1,600 square feet of ambient dock to cooler dock. The expansion contains accommodations for an innovative automatic storage and retrieval system by Optimus Automation, Clarendon Hills, Ill., in the freezer, which will feature fully automated racking storage up to 40 feet at -20°F with approximately 1,500 new pallet positions. The system will reduce human interaction, help regulate temperature in the freezer and decrease the need for lighting. The added freezer will also help shrink the number of standing diesel refrigerated trucks on site, and in turn, minimize the noise to the adjacent community.

The project will also consist of sitework such as construction of a new parking lot, utility improvements and a new access road, retention pond improvements and modification of the employee entrance. In addition, energy-efficient lighting will be installed both inside and outside the facility.

“This project will highlight what A M King does best, which is meeting the needs of our clients while working in a live environment with their end users,” says Eric Perkins, project manager for A M King. “This expansion is on a very compact site and includes renovation of the existing docks to new cooler docks spaces while the plant is in continual operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Multi-phase construction sequencing and coordination with the facility engineers is and will continue to be of the upmost importance for employee/truck traffic as well as internal operations of the facility throughout construction.”