Certco Asked Us to Start with the Ice Cream.

Sweet!
Before install of new door showing ice and frost inside

Background

A food distribution co-operative based in Madison, Wisconsin, Certco, Inc., wholesales and distributes grocery products – everything from frozen foods to health and beauty products. They distribute more than 59,000 items to independent grocery retailers operating 230 total locations. Certco’s distribution centers operate 24/7 and total just under 1 million square feet.

The Challenge

Their Femrite Drive facility totals 292,000 square feet. It includes 136,000 square feet of freezer space, divided between a -10° area and a -20° area dedicated to ice cream. Multiple doorways connect the freezer space to the rest of the facility, which is temperature-controlled to 34°.

  • Certco determined that frost and ice buildup within the freezer space posed a safety risk that needed to be addressed.
  • They sought out a phased solution for their multiple doorways.
  • A phased solution allowed them to manage costs – and evaluate effectiveness before committing completely to one approach.
  • Certco had high-speed rollup doors on the warm side of the entrances that they wanted to maintain.
  • Certco also wanted to fuel the anti-frost air-conditioning section of the recommended HCR Air Doors with the hot gas by-product generated from their ammonia-based cooling system.

Our Approach

Our recommended approach was to combine HCR Air Doors with their existing high-speed rollup doors to ensure the most efficient air block when their hard doors were open.

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HCR Air Doors can be designed to work with existing rollup doors of any brand.

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This hybrid approach reduces cold air loss from the freezer and solves safety issues by eliminating frost and ice buildup on both the cold and warm sides of the doors.

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We worked with HCR Air Doors to design solutions to exactly match the specifications of the doorways and current rollup doors.

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In addition, we worked with the HCR Air Doors and Certco’s ammonia system contractor to provide a solution that could utilize Certco’s existing supply of hot gas.

We were able to take the waste heat from Certco’s existing cooling system and use it to heat the HCR door. This approach is like getting free energy. While there are upfront installation costs with this approach, the overall energy savings (compared to heating the door electrically) will vastly increase Certco’s return-on-investment.

Before install of new door showing ice and frost inside

Deliverables

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Multiple HCR CAC Air Doors designed to work as a hybrid solution with existing high-speed rollup doors.

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Facilitation of the design with HCR Air Doors to achieve the goal of using hot gas to fuel the air-conditioning unit.

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Coordination with Certco’s ammonia system contractor to coordinate specifications and ensure workable solutions.

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Eliminating very slippery conditions in their freezer and reducing the risks associated with ice build-up.

After
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After
Before
Before

Outcomes

“We asked KMK Sales to start with our ice cream freezer, the -20° area. The doorway there presented the greatest safety hazard. Within three weeks of installation, the results were phenomenal. The HCR solution completely eliminated our slippery conditions. We’ve now installed a second door and both projects have gone without a hitch. KMK Sales and our representative Paul Hard have been great to work with. They never leave me hanging. They’re very thorough and they follow up on everything.”

Steve Stace

Certco, Inc.

Clean ceiling after install

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