Cool Running

Sustainability, flexibility, reliability and efficiency are the central hallmarks of today’s cold cases. At first glance, it may seem like refrigerated cases have a singular purpose—to keep items cold. While this may have been the case in the past, now it could not be further from reality. Today’s refrigeration cases, with their multi-tasking features, function at the highest level, have tons of state-of-the-art options and are much more flexible and cost efficient than the cold cases made even just a decade ago. For instance, interest in maintaining food quality and enhancing product appearance has pushed cold case manufacturers to include high-tech features such as food-temperature monitoring, both at the case and remotely through the Internet, high quality, tight-sealing glass doors, slimmer units and top-shelf LED lighting systems. Sustainability also continues to fuel changes in refrigerated case technology as more and more equipment is energy-efficient. Natural refrigerants such as CO2, propane and ammonia are slowly gaining traction as well, but may not be broadly accepted due to some end users’ reservations regarding the fuels’ high pressure, efficiency, flammability and toxicity. As retailers continually look to expand their produce departments, incorporating refrigerated units with flexible features has been key. “The majority of fresh produce is displayed in open, multi-deck merchandisers, but we are seeing more retailers using medium temperature display cases with doors for more incremental, high impulse products such as fresh-cut and packaged products, bagged salads and juices,” says Cheryl Beach, manager marketing communications for Hussmann Corp., based in Bridgeton, Mo. Another trend impacting cold cases, says Beach, is the decrease in shoppers cooking from scratch. As Beach notes, shopping trips are more about finding something to eat now, something prepared to take home to eat later or something partially prepared that can be assembled later. “As a result, food retailers are expanding their prepared foods departments and offering a broader selection of unique and different entrées, side dishes and vegetables that enable the shopper to create something special at home,” she says. “Today’s cases are an ideal way to merchandise those items.” Hussmann officials are also seeing more cross merchandising opportunities in produce, dairy, meat and frozen departments as retailers try to provide shoppers with multiple choices in multiple places throughout their store. Shoppers are also placing more emphasis on digital connectivity before, during and after their shopping trip, says Beach. “Research shows that most purchasing decisions are made at the shelf,” she adds. “So there is a greater emphasis around visual merchandising solutions that attract shoppers and digital technologies that will interact with shoppers enabling them to have a very personal experience with their preferred food retailer.” Of concern to many following these trends, including Mitch Knapke, director, food retail marketing for Emerson Climate Technologies, is the number of Baby Boomer case technicians that are retiring and the lack of young professionals entering the trade which has resulted in a service technician shortage. Industry observers say that service will continue to be a challenge if the industry remains on this path. Emerson Climate Technologies, based in Sidney, Ohio, has developed a wide range of refrigeration services and components for supermarket refrigeration systems and marine container reefers. The marine container systems assist in maintaining freshness for the refrigerated food supply headed to grocery stores and the supermarket refrigeration equipment and services protect the food from delivery to purchase in the grocery store. This is reflected in the company’s Copeland Scroll compressor offerings and its Life Cycle Climate Performance online calculator, which allows supermarket designers and engineers to compare different supermarket system architectures with various refrigerants. “Reliability is key to avoid product loss and ensure food quality,” says Knapke. “Precise temperature control allows a longer shelf life and reduces food shrink.” Cost versus return on investment is something retailers need be aware of as well. Knapke says energy efficiencies are going to keep retailers in compliance with regulations, and though short-term cost may be higher, there is greater ROI in the long-term. “Consumers will pay more money for better, fresher products which retailers will be able to stock more of because of more reliable, sustainable equipment,” he says. “That typically justifies the up-front spend on the retailer’s end.” In addition to new technology innovations, officials at Anthony, part of the Dover Corp. refrigeration and food equipment operating segment, see a continued uptrend in the number of retailers looking to retrofit existing open refrigerated cases with doored units. Uri Rainisch, senior marketing manager for Sylmar, Calif.-based Anthony, says the major factors for this migration are significant energy savings, operating cost reductions and enhanced merchandising. “Rising energy costs, tight margins and the quest for a greener footprint are driving grocery stores to increase energy efficiency by utilizing the inherent advantages of refrigeration glass doors,” says Rainisch, adding that new government regulations mandating energy conservation and food safety can only be met with closed cases. Working with reputable companies and focusing on the long-term opportunity are other factors influencing cold case purchasing decisions today, say observers. The more educated buyers, says Michael Lehtinen, marketing director for Columbus, Ga.-based Heatcraft Kysor/Warren, understand that if they want to know how a case will hold up all they need to do is simply look at one that has been in operation for a few years. He says every case looks great the day it is installed, but once the store opens the day-to-day wear and tear begins to take its toll. Lehtinen suggests prior to purchasing buyers walk into a supermarket that has been around for a while and look at the cases. He says buyers should ask themselves questions such as, do the cases look dented and beat up? Are there parts that look like they are falling off? Is there water on the floor? “At Kysor/Warren our focus has been on making displays that can withstand the daily rigor of store operations while maintaining a like-new appearance. This is done by using heavier materials that can take the abuse day in and day out,” says Lehtinen. Every retailer today is in search of uncovering new ways to make their merchandising stand out and entice shoppers to grab products without hesitation, says Carl Petersen, marketing and advertising manager for Zero Zone, based in North Prairie, Wis. Petersen says this is especially true with perishables. “Shoppers want to bring products home to their families that they feel are the freshest, coldest and safest food items they can buy. For that reason, there has been a steady trend toward newer, sleeker glass door reach-ins,” says Petersen. That type of closed display, he adds, has been shown to maintain the most consistent temperatures throughout the case, thus safeguarding the freshness and cleanliness of the products inside. Petersen says the Zero Zone Crystal Merchandiser line of medium-temp glass door reach-ins has become popular with retailers that want the best visual display of their dairy, deli, produce, fresh meat and beverages. He adds that the Zero Zone Crystal Merchandiser provides energy savings, as high as 84%, compared to open cases, increased facings (as much as 35%) and packout (as much as 25%). “Retailers routinely experience reduction of shrink in perishables of as much as 50%,” says Petersen. “And they can display their products in 48-inch or 30-inch planograms, with case lengths to match their store layout constraints.” The Crystal Merchandiser, with its 74-inch tall doors in 30- and 24-inch widths, is now available in rear-load, deep or hybrid case versions, with a field-installed, top-mount condensing unit kit. A Cold Future Officials at Hussmann believe retailers have a huge opportunity to differentiate themselves by using visual merchandising and digital technologies to engage shoppers. To this end, the company has introduced SPLASH, a digital lighting technology that combines color and motion designed to highlight special promotional products, draw attention to new products or brands and create interest in categories that are normally overlooked by shoppers. To further personalize the shopping experience, Darius for Retail is a new cloud-based platform launched by Hussmann and Velocity Worldwide that will enable food retailers to engage with shoppers more effectively, in real time and in ways they want at any time including at home, on the road and in the store. Hussmann also continues to expand its EcoVision II Plus medium temperature door platform to include multi-decks, reach-ins and walk-in cooler applications. EcoVision II Plus features an ultra-thin door perimeter and handle design that provides greater visibility to product displays, say company officials. New LEDs are designed to optimize the lighting impact from the door canopy and mullion resulting in product displays that attract shoppers, says Beach. Hussmann’s Q-Series specialty merchandisers include both curved and vertical front glass. “The result is exceptional creative contours and line-ups that attract, guide and influence shoppers,” says Beach. “Our new Focal Point lighting adds to the jewel box quality of the display and our new OptiCool refrigeration technology improves the merchandising quality of fresh meat.” Looking to the future, Emerson’s Knapke says there will be greater advancement in smart case technology, particularly with electronic expansion valves with lower head pressures that can improve efficiency and system performance. “That’s important as we look to the future of cold cases, where cost and regulatory pressures will only continue to mount,” he says. Rainisch says there will be increased enhanced energy efficiency features and innovations that reduce energy usage through better gasket seals, elimination of door heaters for anti-fogging, more efficient LED lighting and features that assure doors close completely. He also anticipates improvements to door durability and component life. “More durable materials, combined with new technologies, will extend the life of door components to decrease maintenance costs and energy usage from avoidable problems such as leaking refrigerated air through worn or damaged parts,” he says. Doors of the future, adds Rainisch, will integrate video technology to provide engaging, targeted product messages directly at the point-of-purchase. Officials at Heatcraft Kysor/Warren say more and more doors will be installed on cold cases in the coming years. “The use of open merchandisers may never completely disappear, but it will remain limited to specific applications,” says Lehtinen. This prediction, he notes, is driven by inquiries from customers to put meat behind doors, a thought that would have never crossed a retailer’s mind in the past. “As more retailers are realizing, today’s medium temperature doors have extremely slim frames or no frames to impede the view of the merchandise, a factor that was a key barrier in the past,” he says. Petersen believes the trend toward glass door reach-in cases will continue for the foreseeable future, especially in light of the upcoming stricter 2017 DOE energy regulations. “These regulations are requiring case manufacturers to improve the energy efficiency of their case offerings, and, in some cases, to remove non-compliant cases or case options from their roster of products. Zero Zone is pleased to report that all the cases in the Crystal Merchandiser line already comply with the 2017 DOE energy standards and require no modification,” he says. Petersen adds that those retailers that have already made the switch to glass door reach-ins are reporting higher energy savings and reduced shrink of perishables as well as other favorable merchandising benefits that they did not necessarily expect. “Increases in case capacity and facings are common and are pleasing shoppers, who prefer more variety and well-stocked display cases,” he says. Most observers agree that it is critical retailers have available to them tested, proven and sustainable alternatives to refrigerants targeted for delisting. To help its customers lessen the resource constraints and costs associated with a shift of this magnitude, officials at Emerson Climate Technologies have been working to develop products and equipment that will not only comply with this delisting proposal, but also those in the foreseeable future. With that in mind, the company has plans to introduce a line of Dixell case controllers with a full range of CO2 controls, valves, system protectors and compressors that are UL approved, as well as additional propane and lower GWP models. This is in response, says Knapke, to the EPA’s announced plans to transition new applications away from refrigerants with high GWP, such as R-404A and R-507A, as part of its Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP). Anthony has introduced Eliminaator Renu, energy-free cooler and freezer doors with no heating element that incorporate insulating materials for no door sweat or fog in temperatures as low as -10°F. Officials say on average, retailers will save $100 per year in energy costs for each door. Another new item from Anthony, Cloze Control, utilizes patented, advanced door hold open technology that prevents slamming by softly closing refrigeration and freezer doors, reducing gasket and mullion wear. Rainisch says Cloze Control, coupled with next-generation gaskets, will provide decreased maintenance costs by increasing gasket life by more than 100%. “Longer gasket life equates to energy savings through lessrefrigerated air leakage,” he says. Thecompany’s high-efficiency Optimax Pro 24 LED lighting provides a 30% increase in illumination and efficiency for unparalleled uniformity and product presentation and merchandising enhancement, add officials. Coming in September, Anthony’s transparent LCD video display panels, embedded in refrigeration and freezer glass doors, will offer dynamic, colorful, full-motion graphics and video to connect product and message at point-of-sale. “Far beyond existing POP methods and technology, it will engage customers, increase sales up-lift and activate purchasing behaviors with targeted, customizable messages never before possible,” says Rainisch. Zero Zone continues to add new cases and options to its Crystal Merchandiser case line. Cases are now available for display of frozen food and ice cream, as well as dairy, deli, produce, fresh meat and beverages. Versatile options include deep and rear-load models; Zero Zone Hybrid versions featuring a top-mount, field-installed condensing unit kit and 30-inch or 24-inch doors to suit retailers’ preferences in planograms and case footprint. “Retailers want choices and Zero Zone is committed to giving them the case style that best suits their needs,” says Petersen.