FMI show teams efficiency with design

Retailers can learn about the latest in sustainable store design and energy-efficient refrigeration systems among other topics at the FMI Energy & Store Development Conference. By Kim Ann Zimmermann Store development and design are often influenced by energy usage, and vice versa.  When the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) decided to combine these two topics into one meeting last year, attendees said the results were positive. So much so that the Arlington, Va.-based FMI is holding the event again this year. Building on the success of last year’s inaugural program, the FMI Energy & Store Development (FMI ESD) Conference will offer retailers updates on refrigeration systems, government guidelines, store development and more. Attendees of the conference, to be held Sept. 18-21 in Atlanta, will have an opportunity to meet with a number of vendors and learn about the latest in sustainability and design from industry leaders via keynote addresses and breakout sessions. “This is really an opportunity to bring these two areas of the supermarket together and learn how they can collaborate to build and design stores and systems that are customer pleasing and are the most energy efficient possible,” says Benny Smith, vice president of facilities for Schenectady, N.Y.-based Price Chopper Supermarkets and co-chair of the FMI ESD committee. Smith says that energy costs continue to impact operations budgets and there are always developments in refrigeration technology to improve efficiency. “With energy costs being such a huge part of operating a store, electrical and mechanical systems such as refrigeration play a key role in developing stores concepts and determining locations,” he says. Scheduled general session topics include: FMI State of the Industry; State of the Economy; Store Formats and Design Trends; Non-U.S. Refrigeration Trends; EPA Update; Store Innovation Strategies for Consumer Attraction; CO2 Case Study and Energy Sustainability/Efficient Designs. Some of the scheduled breakout sessions on energy include: Energy Retrofits; Condenser Technology; Refrigeration 201 and On-site Power Generation. On the store development side, scheduled seminars include: Construction Techniques; LEED for Retail and Designing Smaller Store Formats. The Manufacturer/Retailer Exchange will provider attendees with the opportunity to meet more than 80 leading suppliers of energy management, HVAC, refrigeration, design, construction and lighting systems. “This is a wonderful opportunity for one-on-one conversations and a chance to get into specifics,” Smith says. Here are some of the innovations that will be on display at the show: AHT AHT is a global manufacturer of highly energy-efficient, environmentally friendly, plug-in refrigeration and freezing concepts. AHT’s solutions are adjustable to customer needs and focused on cost savings, high-quality, minimum heat emissions, low sound, high food quality and excellent product presentation, say officials for the Hanahan, S.C.-based firm. Officials add that many U.S. customers have reported increases in sales and significant cost savings through the use of AHT’s Paris wide island, Athens jumbo island, Malta shop-around model and Manhattan narrow island. The USA division will soon be introducing the Vento line, which is a plug-in modular refrigerated multi-deck. For more information, visit www.ahtusainc.net. Bitzer Whether grocers’ medium-temperature applications use R134a, R407C or CO2 refrigerants, Bitzer offers reciprocating compressors that are optimized to suit their needs. Officials for the Oakwood, Ga.-based manufacturer say Bitzer’s Octagon series provides market-leading efficiencies, lower condensing temperatures and quieter operation through cutting-edge technology. They say the compressors offer optimum capacity control, sustainability and efficiency. For more information, visit www.bitzerus.com. Emerson Emerson’s XR series controllers manage fan, defrost and refrigeration cycles for medium- and low-temperature refrigerated case applications. The controllers can reduce energy consumption during off hours using a night setback mode and deliver smarter compressor cycling through direct temperature control algorithms, say officials for the St. Louis-based manufacturer. The onboard keypad allows parameter changes to be completed directly at the controller and can be locked out for security purposes. Connectivity to Emerson’s E2 supervisory controller provides alarm notifications as well as historical case temperature graphs to assist technicians in troubleshooting. For more information, visit www.emerson.com. Heatcraft Refrigeration Products Retailers can reduce energy use and operation costs with Heatcraft Refrigeration’s new air-cooled condenser, featuring microchannel coil technology. Officials for the Stone Mountain, Ga.-based company say this latest refrigeration solution includes an environmentally friendly design that significantly reduces refrigerant charge. Equipped with innovative technology that maximizes energy efficiency while minimizing corrosion, officials say that the new air-cooled condenser is a durable high performing product offering a more than 70% reduction in refrigerant charge. Other features include variable speed EC fan motors that lower energy costs, an all-aluminum microchannel coil design for improved corrosion resistance and more than a 50% reduction in sound pressure. For more information, visit www.heatcraftrpd.com. Hill Phoenix Over the years Hill Phoenix has made significant investments to deliver technological advancements and innovative merchandising concepts to customers throughout North America. Its latest evolution, Synerg-E display case technology, is proving to be the industry’s most efficient, say officials for the Conyers, Ga.-based company. Display cases with Synerg-E technology deliver on their performance promise, bringing a new level of heat-transfer capability and energy savings to the market without compromising the product quality that today’s consumers demand. Synerg-E is one of many Hill Phoenix technologies designed to help its customers reduce energy consumption, add officials. For more information, visit www.energy2lead.com. Hussmann Hussmann’s Protocol and Protochill family of advanced refrigeration systems is the most widely used refrigeration concept that increases a stores’ energy efficiency and operating performance say company officials. Protocol uses compact multi-compressor units that are distributed throughout the store or on the roof, close to display case loads. Benefits to supermarkets can include lower refrigerant charge, lower energy costs, fewer refrigerant leaks and lower installation costs, say officials for the Bridgeton, Mo.-based company. They add that Protochill uses the Protocol platform in an innovative medium-temperature secondary application. Compared to central secondary, Protochill offers reduced refrigerant charge, energy savings, lower construction costs and installation flexibility. For more information, visit www.hussmann.com. Kysor/Warren Kysor/Warren’s DX6LD dairy cases are designed to make everything look better—from merchandise to a grocers’ bottom-line. A part of Kysor/Warren’s popular Stratus line, the DX6LD is designed with tall, sleek doors featuring an attractive French opening that dramatically enhances product visibility, say officials for the Columbus, Ga.-based company. Like other Stratus merchandisers, officials say it fits seamlessly into any floor plan and the energy-efficient design can create annual cost savings up to $6,100. Stratus cases provide multiple merchandising applications and offer advances in efficiency, durability and installation, including standard EC Motors; recyclable plastic tubs; modular coil systems; 40% fewer fasteners; 15% to 25% reduction in energy use; no leaks and a flip down electrical raceway add officials. For more information, visit www.kysorwarren.com. Nualight The Alto 530 from Nualight redefines performance for canopy lighting in food displays with the industry’s smoothest LED lighting, say company officials.  Officials for the company, which has U.S. offices in Charlotte, N.C., add that the Alto 530 removes the distinctive appearance of LED in canopy positions in coolers, multi-deck chillers and serve-overs. Unlike fluorescent, there is no light spillage with Alto 530. Despite the ultra-smooth lighting, all light is directed down the face of the display, intended to create dramatic accentuation. Light is also directed back into the case, so when products are purchased, those behind are illuminated. The Alto 530 delivers greater than 80 CRI (compared with 75/80 for fluorescent), which officials say combined with the improved directionality, results in food displays with real punch and sparkle. For more information, visit www.nualight.com. Remis America Remis America offers retrofit refrigeration doors and freezer covers to grocery retailers and OEM case manufacturers that are designed to cut energy costs by up to 80%. Remis America’s eco-friendly systems help keep energy consumption low by providing a full range of insulated glass doors and bunker covers, say executives for the Elkhart, Ind.-based manufacturer. Remis maintains complete control of the entire retrofit process: from custom engineering and manufacturing to installation and follow-up service. These glass doors and covers are engineered to custom fit individual case specifications and are in use in over 10,000 retail stores throughout Europe, via its joint venture partner, Remis GmbH, based in Cologne, Germany. For more information, visit www.remisamerica.com. SOL 20/20 Solar LED Lighting is SOL’s latest state-of-the-art solar light system featuring a low profile architectural luminaire that can be configured to run all night long or dimmed to save energy. Official for the Palm City, Fla.-based company say it directs light most efficiently for increased pole spacing, lighting uniformity and simplified installation. Ideal for parking lots, private roadways, perimeter security and general area applications, this all-inclusive system features a color-matched solar pole that helps exceed the demands of modern solar light performance and durability. By avoiding costly trenching and wiring, 20/20 can be installed at or below the cost of grid-connected lighting. For more information, visit www.solarlighting.com. Sporlan The MT Alliance from the Sporlan division of Parker Hannifin is the Micro Thermo software application that provides a powerful yet easy-to-use interface to a supermarket’s refrigeration, HVAC and lighting systems. According to officials for the Washington, Mo.-based manufacturer, MT Alliance offers the applications to configure, control, monitor and analyze all of a supermarket’s daily operations in a single interface. They say the combination of MT Alliance software, Micro Thermo’s family of distributed intelligent controllers and Sporlan’s CO2 flow control products creates a simple, yet powerful integrated controls solution for food retailers. For more information, visit www.sporlan.com. Temprite Co. Temprite Co. introduced the first commercially available high-efficiency coalescent oil separator. Now, Temprite’s 920 Series coalescent oil separators set the industry standard for energy-efficient performance, say officials for the West Chicago, Ill.-based manufacturer. The 920 Series separators reduce energy consumption with better heat transfer through the coils, which translates into significant kW savings, officials say. The Temprite Standard Filter technology cleans contaminants down to 0.3 microns in size, increasing system capacity and efficiency and lowering energy costs. For more information, visit www.temprite.com. Verisae Complex organizations can save up to 30% of the money they spend on energy and maintenance with technology and services from Verisae, according to company officials. They say the Minneapolis-based firm helps clients manage energy, maintenance and environmental performance through a single set of closely related technologies. With improved energy management retailers can save about 15% of current energy costs and improved maintenance management can reduce a grocer’s current maintenance cost by about 15%. By better managing the interrelationships between both energy and maintenance, supermarkets can save about 5% of both energy and maintenance cost, add officials. The potential for savings depends on a grocer’s current level of sophistication, but Verisae officials say supermarkets that spend more than $1 million a year on energy costs are likely to benefit from its services. For more information, visit www.verisae.com. Zero Zone Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Zero Zone is a leading manufacturer of innovative refrigeration systems and refrigerated display merchandisers for the retail food industry. Recent product offerings from the North Prairie, Wis.-based company include the energy-saving Crystal Merchandiser, which can reduce energy use by as much as 84%, and ColdLoop Secondary Systems. Zero Zone officials invite attendees to visit its booth to find out how they can experience the responsiveness, personalized service and on-time delivery that they say are the basis of its reputation. For more information, visit www.zero-zone.com.