Aspire Builds Fully Automated Insect Protein Production with Dematic

Dematic is building the world’s first fully automated facility for the production of insect proteins for the Aspire Food Group in London, Ontario, Canada. For the leading provider of edible insects, the intralogistics specialist is installing its proven Dematic Automated Storage and Retrieval System (AS/RS).

(Heusenstamm / London/Canada) With this storage and retrieval system from Dematic, Aspire aims to revolutionize the production of food-grade insect proteins and contribute to sustainability as an alternative protein source. The project is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2022.
“Our goal is to establish a new agricultural sector that addresses the challenges of protein scarcity and sustainable nutrition. In this context, we collaborate with companies that employ advanced technologies,” said Mohammed Ashour, CEO and co-founder of Aspire Food Group. “Our partnership with Dematic will yield expertise that benefits both the manufacturing and agricultural industries in North America and will accelerate the introduction of technical solutions in this area,” Ashour added.

Dematic is constructing an eleven-story automated system with high storage density for the Aspire Food Group. This includes 96,000 containers for the breeding and storage of crickets. To continuously optimize maturation, breeding, and incubation, ensuring that the products meet all food requirements, each individual container is monitored. Technology from other providers will be integrated to permanently control the temperature and humidity in each container. Additionally, applications of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) in the form of deep learning technologies will be utilized. This is the first time that IIoT, AS/RS, and AI are being used in a climate-controlled, vertical indoor agriculture setting with living organisms.

Minimizing Manual Interventions

With the Dematic AS/RS technology, manual interventions in the food production process are to be minimized. Furthermore, the solution provides a complete and accurate overview of each container in the system. The available space is optimally utilized, creating the conditions for high capacity utilization. This is set at 20,000 tons of cricket protein and flour annually. The latter is a by-product used as fertilizer and soil enhancer.
Vera Friedrich, Vice President and Managing Director of Dematic Canada: “As a partner of Aspire Food, we want to contribute to the technological development of the agricultural industry with our integrated approach. We are pleased to have found a solution to the global challenge of food insecurity here.”

Photo: © Dematic