Big Easy Energy

The competitive landscape vying for consumers’ food dollars is fierce. As the number of retailers, from grocers to mass merchants to dollar stores to drugstores increases, it is not enough to simply offer product. The way that product is maintained and merchandised can be just as import—if not more so.  

This month’s FMI Energy & Store Development Conference, which will take place Sept. 11-14 at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, has put together a full agenda, giving retailers a first look at trends in merchandising, refrigeration, store design, energy conservation and other key areas. 

The conference’s education program will encompass a wide range of options from presentations and in-depth workshops to a number of offsite events, all offering ideas and tactical solutions to help attendees develop and maintain their businesses for years to come.

FMI officials say the conference will offer retailers an opportunity to gain new ideas to help reduce costs and improve sustainability, plus it will teach them how to develop practical solutions and build a shopping experience that meets customers’ evolving needs. 

In addition to education, the conference will offer a multitude of networking opportunities to connect with other professionals and potential business partners who share similar responsibilities and challenges. The conference will also feature two Manufacture/Retailer Exchanges (MRE). Here, say FMI officials, retailers will have the opportunity to meet more than 100 leading suppliers of energy management, HVAC, refrigeration, design, construction and lighting systems. Suppliers will have the opportunity to get to know supermarket operators and answer questions concerning their company and the development of new equipment, products and services. The first MRE will take place Sept. 11 from 4-7 p.m. and the second will be held on Sept. 12 from 4:30-7 p.m.

Breakout sessions will follow three topic tracks—energy, refrigeration and store development. Among the topics covered in the energy sessions will be ways to reduce store energy by 50 percent, funding energy efficient projects, how to plan and implement a portfolio-wide solar program and an energy roundtable.

Featured topics in the refrigeration sessions will include humidity issues in supermarkets, a cost analysis of mechanical versus electronic expansion valves/case controllers, the pros and cons of various systems for small stores, determining if electric or gas defrost is less expensive for your store and a refrigeration roundtable.

Topics addressed in the store development track will delve into building urban stores, space allotment, using big data in store facilities maintenance, collaborative design versus design build, sustainable practices effect on bottom line and an energy roundtable

As much as the educational portion draws attendees, so too does the show floor where companies are on hand to demonstrate their latest products and services. Here is a closer look at some of the exhibitors at the conference:

​Airius 

airiusfans.com

Airius, a manufacturer of air destratification fans, will be highlighting its new Retail Series. Airius destratification fans reduce temperature layering, known as stratification, between a building’s ceiling and floor, say officials for the Longmont, Colo.-based company.

Airius fans are also designed to cut storewide energy costs by reducing over-heating and over-cooling due to stratification as well as reducing frequent starts and stops of HVAC systems.

The Retail Series, says Christian Avedon, director of sales and marketing, is a full-store solution for grocery stores, superstores and other retail operators. According to Avedon, the Retail Series Model 20 fans are designed to balance temperature in grocery and retail facilities with ceiling heights of 10 to 22 feet. The Retail Series fans have two nozzle options: a Narrow Aisle nozzle that creates an elongated air pattern to circulate air into narrow, tighter spaces such as frozen food aisles and a Standard nozzle that produces a slightly wider air pattern that is well suited for other shopping areas in any store.

In addition to the Retail Series, Airius offers several other models of destratification fans, including the Air Pear, Designer Series, Suspended Ceiling and Q Series, to service ceiling heights of 8 to 125 feet. Fans can also be installed with a PHI cell to fight mold, bacteria, viruses, VOCS and odors.

Anthony

anthonystore.com

Anthony will be featuring several of its new products and promotions, including the Cloze Control Hold Open, which is designed to double the life of refrigerator and freezer glass door gaskets to significantly reduce labor and energy costs. Officials from the Sylmar, Calif.-based company will also be presenting its LifePlus Gasket for cooler and freezer doors, which they say doubles gasket life and provides improved sealing performance over a wide temperature range compared to standard PVC gaskets. 

In addition, officials will be discussing Anthony’s Vista Elite Cooler Door, which they say provides energy-free panoramic merchandise visibility and excellent anti-fog performance without door or glass heat. 

Jeff Brooks, national accounts manager, says Anthony’s 1 1=5 Promotion illustrates just how important they believe it is for retailers to retrofit their cold vaults with energy-efficient doors and components. To qualify, any retailer who purchases one LifePlus Gasket and one Cloze Control door-closing mechanism will receive five years of gasket warranty. 

“At Anthony, we consider ourselves much more than just a glass door manufacturer and supplier,” says Brooks. “Our vision is to be a complete ‘solutions provider’ for grocery stores, supermarkets and other retailers that are looking to maximize their merchandising effectiveness through the use of state-of-the-art door and components technologies to improve the bottom line.”

AHT Cooling Systems USA

ahtusa.net

AHT officials will be discussing new product developments and their eco-friendly complete store system, as well as sharing information about their new South Carolina production facility.

Officials for the North Charleston, S.C.-based company say AHT is an innovative global technology leader in the field of modular commercial refrigeration and freezer display cases. Since its early days, the company’s focus has been on manufacturing flexible solutions to meet customer needs that are also energy efficient, environmentally friendly, have little to zero maintenance and designed to drive retail sales. 

​Cuhaci & Peterson

c-p.com

Cuhaci & Peterson is a national, full-service architecture and engineering firm, specializing in commercial design. In addition to architecture, the Orlando, Fla.-based company offers services such as SMEP engineering, landscape architecture, planning, fire protection/fire alarm, government relations/permitting, interior design, building information modeling, graphic design and LEED.

Officials say that having numerous internal resources has been essential to the successful management of the more than 50-plus corporate rollout programs it has been involved with. To best serve a diverse client mix, Cuhaci & Peterson maintains licensure in 49 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, as well as branch offices in Philadelphia, Boston and West Palm Beach, Fla.

“C&P does more than design buildings, we brand stores, interiors and exteriors to create places that people experience and remember,” says Steven Duffy, vice president of grocery. “We design buildings that define and sustain the communities we live in, the businesses we work in and the centers we shop in. Our team brings passion, purpose and integrity—elements ingrained in our culture.” 

Emerson Climate Technologies 

emersonclimate.com

Emerson Climate Technologies, a business segment of Emerson, provides heating, air conditioning and refrigeration solutions for residential, industrial and commercial applications. The Sydney, Ohio-based company will feature its latest wireless sensor system, which company officials say allows retailers to quickly and easily monitor individual case and simulated product temperatures. Compatible with Emerson’s E2 facility management system and Site Supervisor, the wireless sensor system can help retailers reduce operating costs, accommodate store layout changes and provide secure facility data transmission.

With 2015 EPA compliance standards and DOE regulations continuing to impact the commercial refrigeration industry, Emerson Climate Technologies will also provide conference attendees with a look at energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly alternatives, including recently approved low-GWP blends and increasing natural refrigerant options. These alternatives are now available in the expanded Copeland Scroll discus and CO2 compressors.

Emerson Climate Technologies is also now offering a three-month trial program of its cellular-connectivity ProAct Services, the enterprise management service for supermarkets, convenience stores, retail, commercial buildings and foodservice. “Retailers can gain around-the-clock visibility and valuable insights into their facility systems without the need for connectivity to a company network, no significant IT support required and no risk of access to critical POS data through the monitoring system,” says Ed McKiernan, president, retail solutions.

​REMIS America

remisamerica.com

REMIS America is best known for refrigeration systems that are specially designed for the demands of food retail. Its full range of eco-friendly medium temperature insulated glass doors and bunker freezer covers are designed to keep energy consumption low. These proven energy-saving glass doors and covers are engineered to custom fit individual refrigeration case specifications. 

Officials for the Elkhart, Ind.-based company will be showcasing Safe T Max and Safe TT, its next generation of zero energy doors that have 100 percent total display area, along with the Easy Fill Roto Shelf.

According to Matt Pletcher, managing director, REMIS America has participated in FMI’s Energy and Store Development conference since the company was formed in 2008. “We have not found a better event to network with supermarket industry leaders and to learn about new technologies and trends,” says Pletcher. “It also presents us with the perfect platform during the retailer/vendor exchange to introduce new products and get valuable feedback.”

Structural Concepts

structuralconcepts.com

Structural Concepts designs and manufactures energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly refrigerated food display cases for retail and foodservice. Officials for the Muskegon, Mich.-based company say that with an understanding of how to present fresh foods, its minimalist design puts the spotlight on food. “High performance and temperature integrity ensure your reputation for the freshest and most flavorful foods,” says Jeff Schneider, senior vice president of sales, marketing and strategic planning. “No matter the cuisine offered, we have the merchandising systems to create your concept and customization that gives it your unique look.” 

Schneider says that Structural Concepts’ cases are built using alignext, a proprietary, seamless, integrated, minimalist design platform. The alignext platform uses UV bonded glass technology to create invisible merchandisers for fresh foods. Officials add that alignext solves the puzzle of how to adapt by accommodating new configurations and additional cases while maintaining a seamless profile. “It addresses the issue of mismatched case profiles, unnecessary double ends and unsanitary and unsightly gaps. Our patented rear lift vertical glass eliminates conventional metal framing and provides a high-end unobstructed jewelry case view,” says Schneider.

Temprite

temprite.com

Temprite specializes in energy-efficient coalescent and conventional oil separators, oil reservoirs, liquid receivers and refrigerant oil management products for all refrigerants including ammonia (NH3), carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrocarbons (HCs).  

Officials for the West Chicago, Ill.-based company will be on hand to discuss Temprite’s 130 Series of coalescent oil separators, which were designed to meet the increasing demand for CO2 products that deliver high efficiency, significant energy savings and the potential for smart utilization of waste heat in the transcritical CO2 environment. They say the 130 Series separators have a MWP of 140 bar (2030 PSI) and the most efficient oil-refrigerant filtering and separation technology available, with a 98.5 percent-plus separation efficiency rating across the widest range of mass flows. 

Officials add that the 920R Series delivers the highest measured capacity of refrigeration and the lowest kilowatts required per unit of cooling (per ton), and the 920R separators perform with equal efficiency in all types of systems including ultra-low temperature applications, even or uneven multiplex systems, dual suction systems, low, medium and A/C and during refrigeration load shifting/matching.

Officials also say that the 920 and 920R Series of coalescent oil separators are compatible with ammonia (NH3) refrigerant systems. “Temprite separators remove oil from the system and return it to the compressor which means shorter compressor run times, reduced energy consumption and the highest possible return on investment,” says Tom Schmidt, president. “Our products help our customers minimize energy costs, prolong system life and reduce carbon emissions.”  

​Verisae

verisae.com

Verisae’s software technology brings together the concepts of big data, machine-to-machine communications and mobile technology to deliver solutions for companies in retail, utilities, telecommunications, manufacturing and service management industries. Verisae analyzes data to provide predictive, prescriptive and proactive maintenance and management. 

Company officials will be on hand to discuss Verisae’s vx Conserve application, which allows users to gather energy consumption and expenditure information—utility bills and meter data—in a repository that also includes location attributes and maintenance information. Mike Parks, vice president, customer innovation for the Minneapolis-based company, says the application can help companies analyze utility bill information to uncover hidden discrepancies and determine whether bills should be paid or escalated. 

“Consumption anomalies and usage trends can be analyzed in the context of similar facilities, making such comparisons much more valuable,” he says. “When integrated with an asset management system such as our vx Maintain, vx Conserve can also track the impact of maintenance on the energy used by asset in your facility.” 

In addition to historical information, Verisae’s vx Exchange service enables remote monitoring of energy alarms, alerting when consumption patterns exceed thresholds via a mobile dashboard.

Verisae is also sponsoring the session Using Big Data in Store Facilities Maintenance at the 2016 Energy and Store Development Conference.

Zero Zone

zero-zone.com

Zero Zone is once again a sponsor of the FMI Energy & Store Development Conference. At this year’s gathering, officials from the North Prairie, Wis.-based company will be talking to retailers about how Zero Zone is ready for DOE 2017 compliance with even more energy-efficient cases. 

Officials will also be explaining what the new EPA regulations will mean in regard to retailers’ refrigerant choices and responsibility, and introduce Zero Zone cases and systems that are designed to help retailers increase profitability while reducing their carbon footprint.

“In today’s ultra-competitive landscape, traditional supermarket retailers are being assailed from all fronts, including the increase in small-format food sellers of all types and the expansion of large European chains in the U.S.,” says Carl Petersen, marketing and advertising manager. “Zero Zone is here to be a guide through all the possibilities—from merchandising through refrigerant selection—partnering with our customers for the long term as we grow together.” 

Established in 1961, Zero Zone is a manufacturer of refrigerated glass door display cases and commercial refrigeration systems for supermarkets, drug, dollar and convenience stores. With display case plants in North Prairie and Waukesha, Wis., and refrigeration systems plants in Ramsey, Minn., Zero Zone also manufactures industrial refrigeration systems for cold storage, food processing, ice arenas and other industrial applications.