Erdman Anthony provided mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire-protection, and refrigeration design for a 12,000-square-foot robotics-powered facility connected to the Big Y supermarket in Chicopee, Massachusetts. The facility required a new electrical service to the new building and a permanent generator to power the entire building and the refrigeration and robotic equipment. The robotic equipment required power, compressed air, and data services to make it operational. The sprinkler design required a new service to the building and ceiling and in-rack sprinklers throughout the robotic apparatus. Refrigeration design was required for the cooler of the robotic apparatus and for additional medium and low temperature cases located throughout the facility. New rooftop units and a duct distribution system were designed for the facility conditioning, along with a new gas service.
The new facility operates as an automated micro-fulfillment center and is the result of a partnership between Big Y, headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts, and Takeoff Technologies Inc. in Waltham, Massachusetts. The artificial intelligence-enabled robots can assemble grocery orders of up to 60 items in fewer than five minutes – a fraction of the time and cost that manual picking methods require.