NewCold, the Netherlands, opened the doors to its new fully automated cold storage facility in Burley, Idaho. The $90 million, 180,000-square-foot facility is said to be one of the largest cold storage warehouses in the nation.

“We are proud to have successfully developed and started up this large-scale, state-of-the-art automated cold storage warehouses in a relatively short period of time,” says Jonas Swarttouw, U.S. director. “Teamwork, between all the experts at McCain Foods, our suppliers, the local community and our own team at NewCold have been the key to this achievement. We look forward to a long-term partnership with McCain and the Southern Idaho community.”

NewCold uses leading-edge technology to automatically move and store products in the “dark” high-bay warehouse, storing foods at -5°F, with oxygen levels lowered to 16.5% for fire prevention. This allows for a more energy-efficient and food-safe alternative compared to conventional cold storage solutions. To ensure an efficient inbound, storage, order fulfillment and outbound process, this location employs 100 people, including managers, planners, operators, maintenance workers, drivers and forklift operators.

The Burley location, which was first announced last year, largely supports the logistics needs of McCain Foods, Canada. McCain Foods also recently completed a $200 million processing plant expansion in Burley.