SIMIC

Kerry has named the robots "Koolbotic" as part of its efforts to increase automation in its operations to enhance productivity. Koolbotic is installed in the regional distribution centre that Kerry has been managing for one of the UK's leading retailers in Hong Kong since 2011.

Adopted to handle large volume of chilled-food products in a low-temperature environment and with a relatively short lead time to market, Koolbotic is able to work 20-hour shifts and raises sorting productivity by 20 per cent, said a company press release.

"Essentially collaborative in nature, Koolbotic also supports warehouse staff as it can endure freezing conditions which would be detrimental to humans for a prolonged period, in doing so safeguards the health and safety of staff members," it said.

"At Kerry Logistics Network, we are firm believers of leveraging the benefits of technological advances to bolster our productivity as well as to improve the working conditions of our people," said Kerry's deputy integrated logistics chief, Samuel Lau.

"We see this type of selective automation and collaborative robots as the future of our industry, as it combines the best of both worlds - the flexibility of humans and the endurance of machines," he said.