SIMPLOT COMPANY

Project Description

Client: Simplot Company
Facility Type: Automated Storage Retrieval System (ASRS) | Distribution
Location: Moses Lake, Washington
Total Size: 227,019 SF SF Facility

Redefining Potato Processing & Logistics

Simplot’s next-generation and highly efficient high bay freezer

Seamlessly integrated with the Simplot’s potato manufacturing plant, stands a cutting-edge 227,019 SF ASRS freezer facility. Designed to maximize efficiency and automation, this facility represents a leap forward in large-scale frozen storage and logistics.

The ASRS freezer itself spans 136,224 square feet, soaring to an impressive height of 135 feet—equivalent to a 13-story building. The rack-supported structure holds a staggering 18,390,240 cubic feet of frozen storage space. 

Optimized for rapid and efficient product handling, it is equipped with eight automated stacker cranes that navigate the vast dark interior, ensuring rapid retrieval and placement for 65,000 palletized goods. The freezer’s innovative low-oxygen fire prevention system provides highest safety standards in cold storage operations.

The 67,077 SF truck and rail dock is built for seamless logistics, with 13 drive-through truck dock positions, four rail dock positions, 1.13 miles of new rail track, and equipped with two automatic truck unloading (ATU) positions designed for high-speed distribution.

Building this state-of-the-art facility presented unique challenges, requiring extensive environmental and infrastructure solutions. Nine acres of wetlands were restored to mitigate environmental impact, and high groundwater conditions demanded innovative construction techniques. The foundations were reinforced with aggregate piers to provide necessary stability. Limited power availability from the Public Utility District (PUD) required careful resource management and coordination with the adjacent manufacturing plant.

Despite these challenges, Fisher delivered the project four weeks ahead of schedule and under budget.

Winner of the AGC Build Northwest Award in the Over $10MM category by the Inland Northwest AGC.