KPI Integrated Solutions and Phononic partner on cold chain solutions for grocery ecommerce

KPI Integrated Solutions (KPI), a leading supply chain consulting, software, systems integration, and automation supplier, and Phononic, a provider of solid-state cooling technology, today announced a partnership to provide sustainable cold chain solutions that serve the retail grocery and food industries.

Combining KPI’s warehouse operations design expertise with Phononic’s sustainable Actively-Cooled Tote technology will allow for scalable solutions to maintain cold chain integrity and traceability through all phases of the distribution process, according to KPI Integrated Solutions. KPI’s automation designs will now be able to utilize Phononic’s sustainable Actively-Cooled Totes for cold chain applications, from the warehouse to the curb, KPI added.

The approach enables grocery retailers and food companies the ability to deploy automated, temperature-controlled solutions in an existing footprint, avoiding large upfront capital costs while drastically lowering operating labor and maintenance costs, KPI’s announcement explained. It also improves the overall employee experience by addressing one of the largest contributors to labor attrition in grocery retail: the need to work within frozen environments. This solution provides employees a much more comfortable workspace by avoiding the demand for work in such spaces. Additionally, Phononic’s solid state cooling and refrigeration technology uses a safe and sustainable refrigerant: H2O mixed with naturally available CO2, featuring a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of just 1 or less. This approach produces the safest and lowest GWP rating in the industry compared to other commonly used refrigerants that contribute to climate change, KPI added.

“This strategic partnership with Phononic will deliver a strong return on investment for our clients who are looking to quickly and flexibly provide cold storage and order fulfillment capability that is unconstrained by cooling and freezer needs,” said Jim Kuecker, Chief Commercial Officer at KPI. “Joining forces with Phononic allows us to continue designing and providing the most critical end-to-end solutions for grocery retail, now with a sustainable cold chain solution.”

“Phononic is proud to partner with industry leaders such as KPI to bring scalable and sustainable solutions to grocery ecommerce,” said Dana Krug, SVP, Cold Chain Fulfillment at Phononic. “KPI’s innovative and versatile cold storage designs can scale from larger grocery delivery operations to smaller-scale food storage – without the need for investment in full-size refrigerators or freezers which are much less efficient, costly, and harmful to the environment. As grocery ecommerce continues to explode, KPI and Phononic together deliver an innovative, proven, and sustainable solution for cooling.”