|
Industry News: |
|
Vendors, competitors, customers: looking 20 years out.
A collection of industry leaders
offer their thoughts about what the foodservice industry will look like in 20 years.
FE&S asked these individuals from all corners of the industry to gaze into their crystal balls and address the future of labor needs, technology developments and consumer demands. The result? Food for thought. In learning about these
perspectives and issues, hopefully you will have the chance to start thinking beyond next quarter's financial needs to develop a better idea of what you will need to do to ensure your operation remains sustainable and relevant in the years
to come.
Did You Know?
Changes In Insulation Drive Up Energy Costs
Did you know the move away from HFC's has also lowered the R-value of insulation used in walk-in coolers and freezers? The latest edition of
The Consultant, the flagship publication from
FCSI, features an article explaining it all in clear language. Turns out our move to save the ozone layer requires some careful thinking in order to avoid using more energy to keep things cool.
The entire article is available in
PDF form.
|
|
|
|
Self-Closing Door Advantages |
|
The first advantage of a self-closing door is obvious: the door will never be left open again.
But there are additional and similarly concrete advantages, including financial benefits for installing a self-closing door. Maintaining the internal refrigerated environment is essential to product quality maintenance, energy use and
costs, and product security. The door is the first line of defense.
The
Energy Star program says roughly $1 billion a year is spent energy use by commercial refrigeration, which is roughly equivalent to the energy used by 1.9 million cars in the U.S. Energy Star estimates 25% of that energy use could be
saved through upgrades to new and more efficient components, including self-closing doors.
Self-closing walk-in cooler and freezer doors are available from
R-Plus Doors in both swing and sliding styles.
Swing doors up to 48 inches use a spring hinge with a top-mounted door closure and a magnetic gasket to complete the seal. Above 48 inches, the door closure mechanism must meet specific applications and requirements, which R-Plus Doors
can easily recommend and plan even with doors weighing up to 200 lbs.
R-Plus sliding doors use an electric operator set to auto close by timer and a PLC logic controller using a digital text display. Travel is safe, quick and efficient at up to 42 inches per second, complete with a soft start and stop
that avoids destructive acceleration and deceleration actions.
Complete technical information is available on our web site.
Call or
email Nick Stahl (1-800-238-4093) for more information on selling replacement self-closing doors to your customers.
DOOR OF THE MONTH
You gave us a great door story and photo this month. Seems the lift driver didn't notice the load was a bit higher than normal when he tried to drive into the cooler.
The force of the lift truck load broke a couple of wall panels, tore the door seal off the panels, crunched the door opening, and generally ripped the entire door area. The door no longer held a seal and would not close properly.
Fortunately, the strip curtain maintained some of the cooling capability.
R-Plus replacement doors are a perfect match for this situation. Sliding doors are easily replaced, we even manufacture replacement swing doors to match your need. A quick look at our web site gives you access to architectural
specifications, parts lists, and
ordering requirements.
Each month we feature a replaced door, a cooler or freezer door that is obviously in bad condition and ready for replacement. Send a photo of a door you are replacing or think needs replacing to
Nick Stahl. If your photo is the worst looking door, we will feature that picture and your company in this newsletter and on our web site.
|
 |
|
|
5.8% Growth Expected In Construction During 2008 |
|
FMI, management consultants and investment bankers to the construction industry, announce the publication of the
2008 U.S. Construction Overview, which places 2008 construction at a total $1.21 trillion, about 9 percent gross of U.S. domestic product.
The energy efficiency trend also grows with a projected $21.2 billion of all new nonresidential construction will employ the use of green-building principles, a 58 percent increase. This sizable growth in green construction has created a
shift in perception among owners and the architectural and engineering communities over the last few years
|
|
|
