As UK warehouse operators face growing pressure to increase storage capacity, improve throughput and enhance safety—often within existing buildings—automation specialist Spacemaker Inc Ltd is positioning itself at the centre of this challenge with the launch of its UK European Innovation Centre in Nuneaton.

The facility includes a live demonstration area where visitors can see, at first hand, how semi-automated 2-way pallet shuttle systems and fully automated 4-way pallet shuttle technology can transform high-density pallet storage operations. Designed for logistics providers, manufacturers, cold-store operators and systems integrators, the Innovation Centre allows customers to compare traditional racking approaches with modern shuttle-based alternatives in real operating conditions.

 

Demonstrating smarter high-density storage:

At the heart of the Innovation Centre is Spacemaker’s DualAxis Pro® 2-way pallet shuttle, a semi-automated solution designed to maximise cube utilisation by dramatically reducing the number of operating aisles required in a warehouse. Pallets are loaded at the face of each lane, with the shuttle automatically transporting loads deep into the racking, eliminating the need for forklifts to enter storage lanes.

 

Compared with conventional high-density systems such as Drive-In, pallet live, pushback and mobile racking, 2-way pallet shuttle technology offers several clear advantages:

• Higher usable storage density than drive-in racking, without the structural damage risk caused by forklifts entering lanes
• Greater flexibility than pallet live or pushback, supporting both FIFO and LIFO operation without fixed gravity flow lanes
• Improved safety, as forklift movements are restricted to aisle faces rather than inside racking structures
• Lower mechanical complexity than mobile racking, avoiding moving rack structures and floor-embedded guidance systems
• Scalability, allowing additional shuttles to be introduced as throughput requirements increase

The DualAxis Pro™ system is also designed for demanding environments, including cold storage, with freezer-rated components, robust battery technology and precise pallet positioning. Operators benefit from improved stock accuracy, reduced handling time and lower long-term maintenance costs compared with traditional high-density solutions

The next step: fully automated 4-way pallet shuttles:

Alongside its 2-way system, Spacemaker’s UK Innovation Centre showcases the QuadAxis Pro® 4-way pallet shuttle, representing a step change in automation capability for high-density warehouses.

 

Unlike 2-way shuttles that operate within individual lanes, 4-way shuttles can travel both longitudinally and laterally, transferring pallets across multiple lanes and levels via integrated lifts. This allows any pallet to be accessed dynamically, without the need for fixed aisle layouts or manual shuttle relocation.

 

For warehouse operators, the opportunity presented by 4-way shuttle systems is significant:

 

• Substantially increased storage capacity, achieved by minimising aisle space while fully utilising building height
• Higher throughput and picking efficiency, with automated storage and retrieval running continuously
• Greater SKU flexibility, making the system suitable for multi-SKU and fast-moving operations
• Reduced labour dependency, helping address skills shortages and rising labour costs
• Lower cost per pallet stored compared with alternative fully automated AS/RS solutions

 

The QuadAxis Pro® is designed to integrate with conveyors, lifts and warehouse execution systems, creating a modular automation platform that can be scaled over time to match business growth or seasonal demand

 

A practical environment for decision-makers:

Rather than relying on simulations or brochures alone, Spacemaker’s UK Innovation Centre enables customers and integrators to see shuttle technology operating live, ask technical questions and explore how different system configurations impact storage density, throughput and return on investment.

 

The centre also demonstrates Spacemaker’s software ecosystem, including warehouse execution, control and visualisation tools that provide real-time inventory visibility, system diagnostics and integration with existing WMS and ERP platforms

 

Supporting the UK market

With local engineering support, spare parts availability and a growing partner network, Spacemaker is positioning its UK operation as a long-term automation partner rather than simply a technology supplier. The Innovation Centre forms a key part of that strategy, giving UK businesses a practical route to evaluate automation options as they look to future-proof their warehouse operations.

As pressures on space, safety and productivity continue to intensify, Spacemaker’s combination of semi-automated 2-way and fully automated 4-way pallet shuttle solutions offers UK operators a clear pathway from conventional racking to high-performance automated storage—demonstrated in real time, on UK soil.

 

For more information contact Chris Hopkirk – 07814 244817 chris.hopkirk@spacemakerinc.com

The National Border Operations Business Readiness Forum is a monthly online session that keeps stakeholders up to date on the latest developments in biosecurity and trade. BFFF do attend this forum and strive to bring you the latest updates, but it is open to all.

The next forum will take place on Tuesday 13 January 2026. If you’d like to join the next session or receive invitations to future ones, please email APHA-BusinessReadinessForum@apha.gov.uk .⁠

Specialist fresh produce supplier, Bidfresh, has released its latest ‘Growing Greener’ sustainability report, unveiling a refreshed sustainability framework and a new mission and vision that will guide the business towards a more responsible and resilient future.

 

As sustainability expectations continue to rise across the industry, and 16% of consumers think that suppliers are responsible for ensuring eating out of home is sustainable^[1], Bidfresh has provided its customers, teams and partners with clear, evidence-based insight into how it’s addressing environmental and social challenges across the supply chain.

 

Taking a more proactive approach, ‘Growing Greener’ showcases progress across Bidfresh’s three specialist brands, Direct Seafoods (fish and seafood), Campbell Brothers (meat and poultry) and R Noone & Sons (fresh produce), and its new vision: Caring for people, committed to responsible sourcing and delivering the best in foodservice.

 

Bidfresh is also developing its own Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) strategy and has taken an important step with the introduction of its first ‘Plan on a Page’, providing a clear and structured foundation to embed its ESG priorities across the business.

 

Through this framework, Bidfresh aims to reduce its environmental impact, support resilient UK farming and fishing communities, uphold ethical governance, and include transparent and traceable sourcing across all operations, setting a clear path to 2030 and beyond.

 

Key highlights include:

 

• The introduction of an ‘Inclusion at Work’ and ‘Workplace Behaviour’ standard
• Retaining the ASC and MSC Chain of Custody certification for all the seafood trading sites
• Achieving a ‘Bronze’ medal by the EcoVadis sustainability assessment platform.

 

Valeria Potsinok, Sustainability Manager at Bidfresh, said: “Now in the second year of reporting, I’m so proud of the progress we’ve made, from advancing responsible sourcing and animal welfare to reducing waste and strengthening community initiatives across our regional sites. ‘Growing Greener’ will enable closer collaboration with our customers, helping them make informed menu and supplier decisions, while supporting their own ESG reporting.

 

“This year’s report also sheds light on our expanded training on Health & Safety and Diversity, Equality, Inclusion & Belonging, and our new route planning to reduce last-mile emissions.

 

“Yet, we know this journey is ongoing, and there is much more to do. Guided by our new vision: caring for people, committed to responsible sourcing and delivering the best in foodservice, we remain focused on building a fairer, more responsible and sustainable future for our people, customers, partners and the planet.”

 

Click here to read the latest ‘Growing Greener’ report: viewer.ipaper.io/bidcorp/bidfresh/growing-greener-bidfresh-sustainability-report-2025/?page=1

 

[1] CGA by NIQ x Bidfood State of the Nation – Food Feb 2025

Meat Business Women — the global professional network dedicated to advancing women’s representation and talent across the meat and wider food supply chain — is now researching the 2026 Gender Representation Report. This globally recognised benchmark tracks gender balance across the food and meat manufacturing industry and is independently analysed and submitted to the United Nations. The 2026 edition takes the research to the next level. Alongside continued, dedicated insight into the meat sector, the report will expand beyond meat to include the wider food manufacturing industry, covering dairy, seafood, ready meals, produce, bakery, and ingredients.

This broader scope will deliver the clearest and most connected picture yet of gender representation across the full food supply chain, helping to identify opportunities to strengthen inclusion, leadership pipelines, and talent retention. This research is unique, industry-wide, and vital for manufacturers, providing insight not available anywhere else in the sector. Data collection is open now until 20th February 2026 and we’re asking for your help to ensure manufacturers across the industry take part.

Food Manufacturers – please get involved by:

• Business Survey: Food manufacturing businesses are asked to complete the Business Survey, which captures organisational progress against gender inclusion milestones, alongside gender distribution data.
• Employee Pulse Survey: Businesses are also encouraged to distribute the Employee Pulse Survey to all employees. This helps identify where people are progressing — and where gaps still exist across the industry. Regardless of role, seniority, or gender — we want to hear from you.

Full details and access to the surveys and previous reports can be found here: https://www.meatbusinesswomen.org/what-we-do/gender-representation-report-2026.html

Thank you for helping us shape the future of gender inclusion across the global food industry.

At Costa Brava Mediterranean Foods, sustainability is a commitment that goes far beyond environmental responsibility. We believe in responsible production and consumption, following the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to ensure that no food resource is wasted.

 

We help nourish hope by actively collaborating with the Food Bank and the Red Cross, donating food to families and individuals in vulnerable situations. This solidarity effort enables us to achieve 0% food waste and progress towards a true Zero Waste model.

 

But we go even further. All meat by-products generated during our activity are recovered and given a new life with sustainable purposes. Some are used for animal feed —such as livestock—, others are transformed into natural fertilisers for agriculture, and part of them are used in the development of pharmaceutical products. Nothing is discarded: everything is revalued with responsibility and purpose.

 

With every action, we ensure an efficient, circular value chain committed to people, the environment, and the future of the food industry.

 

At Costa Brava Mediterranean Foods, we produce and consume with conscience. Because feeding people also means caring for them.