Measures against Heatstroke at Distribution Centers

We provide consulting services for unmanned and labor-saving operations using robotics, as well as a wide range of products to improve the warehouse environment. Let's talk about heat control, which is in season now that summer has arrived in Japan.

HVLS fans (our product name "EMIAS FANS") are already widely used in many countries around the world, but we would like to explain the principle and effects again. HVLS stands for High-Volume Low-Speed, and the large air volume generated by rotating a large ceiling fan of up to 7.3m in diameter slowly circulates air and greatly improves the working environment in a warehouse, covering an area of approximately 2000 m2 with a single fan. The effects include measures against heat stroke, dew condensation, mold and rust, bird damage, etc. In Japan, it is especially well known as a product to prevent heat stroke. (It is widely known that Japan's uniquely humid summer heat is a problem for many foreign tourists.) The wind generated by the HVLS fans gently caresses the skin of workers in the warehouse, and by depriving them of vaporization heat, it has the effect of lowering the temperature they feel by about 5°C. The reason for the introduction of HVLS fans is that logistics centers have high ceilings, which makes the capital investment cost of air conditioning too large even if one wanted to install it, and air conditioners use refrigerant gases such as chlorofluorocarbon gas, which has a large environmental impact.

Another place where heat stroke can occur is inside containers. Containers are made of steel, and because they are exposed to the sun for long periods during transportation, the outside as well as the inside become hot, and the temperature inside containers in summer can exceed 40°C, making work inside containers hazardous. If devanning work is started while the inside of the container is still hot, not only the inside of the container but also the hot air inside the container will enter the warehouse, raising the temperature inside the warehouse without being noticed and increasing the risk of heat stroke in a wide area.

LOGIAS JAPAN is working to reduce total energy costs with an eco-system that utilizes wind and water.

We have developed the "Container Cooling System" as a product that blocks this hot air brought in from inside containers in advance. This system lowers the temperature of containers by installing water sprinklers on the roofs of truck berths and spraying a slightly large mist using water. Like the EMIAS FANS system, this system also uses vaporization heat, and actual measurement data shows that the surface temperature of a container was reduced from 55°C to 32.5°C with a small amount of water spray, thus enhancing the safety of work inside containers. The system is also designed to minimize the amount and extent of water use so as not to waste water, and is equipped with a timer function that sprays water according to the time of day when trucks enter the warehouse, and a function that stops water supply to berths that are not in use.

The combination of our "EMIAS FANS" and "Container Cooling System" has already been introduced at various sites and is highly evaluated.

LOGIAS JAPAN is working to reduce total energy costs with an eco-system that utilizes wind and water.