ORAFOL Americas AVON, CT

Mechanical & Facilities Services

CLIENT OBJECTIVES

ORAFOL was seeking a solution that would accomplish the following:

• Increase its process chilled water capacity to address existing distribution problems and accommodate new capacity requirements
• Resolve an existing negative pressure problem that was affecting the manufacturing process
• Replace existing rooftop units that were well beyond their useful service life
• Optimize capital expenditures while minimizing the impact on energy costs
• Address the issue of noise complaints expressed by residential neighbors in close proximity to the facility

VALUE DELIVERED

EMCOR Services New England Mechanical (NEMSI) has maintained and serviced the existing mechanical systems at the ORAFOL Americas’ facility in Avon, Connecticut for more than 15 years. This long-term relationship, coupled with NEMSI’s excellent track record, assured ORAFOL that NEMSI would develop a cost-effective solution to address problems with their process chilled water systems, building pressurization, and proposed building expansion. NEMSI’s innovative design combined a new central chilled water plant, new 100% outside air make-up units, and heat recovery systems that recovered process cooling loop heat rejection to heat the outside air. This design allowed NEMSI to secure $717,000 in utility incentives for the project. NEMSI’s solution tripled the size of the process chilled water system, eliminated the negative pressure problems in the existing building, and addressed noise concerns. The replaced rooftop units presented limited impact on ORAFOL’s annual energy expense.

NEMSI’s team effort on this project was recognized with two prestigious construction industry awards: Contracting Business Magazine Design/Build Award and Associated Builders & Contractors Excellence in Construction Award – Large Specialty Contractor.

SOLUTIONS

NEMSI provided complete turnkey services on the project for the mechanical systems including design, energy analysis, construction, and commissioning. The scope of the project included installing a new 600 ton central chilled water plant to the 98,000 square foot facility with two water cooled 300 ton centrifugal chillers, two cooling towers, redundant pumping systems for each loop (with an array of heat exchangers to provide separation between the chilled water loop), and process cooling and heat recovery loop. Combining process loads and comfort cooling loads into a single new chiller central plant with the heat recovery enabled make-up air to be continually conditioned and adjusted to maintain positive pressurization. The make-up air is conditioned with energy recovered from the process cooling loads during the winter and with chilled water during the summer. The operating costs for the expanded process cooling water system and new make-up air capacity is virtually the same as it had been for the existing process air cooled chiller and aged rooftop units without the proper make-up air quantities. The aged rooftop units in the existing plant were replaced with air handling units and augmented with new air handling units serving the expansion. The new units were used to provide additional make-up air to the existing plant.

NEMSI’s creative approach eliminated the installation of separate, unrelated systems and secured a significant utility incentive which combined to reduce ORAFOL’s net project capital expense. NEMSI overcame a three month delay, created by unforeseen structural issues in the expansion, by successfully coordinating work with the contractors on the expansion project. This minimized ORAFOL’s overall capital expenditure on both projects, and the process chilled water and make-up air system installations were completed on schedule.

BACKGROUND

ORAFOL Americas is a manufacturer of reflective safety material for transportation/ highway, military, construction, marine, and recreational markets. Headquartered in Oranienburg, Germany, the majority of the products are made at the Oranienburg facility. ORAFOL employs over 1,700 people worldwide, selling and distributing its product lines in over 100 countries.

MANUFACTURING / INDUSTRIAL

SAFETY MATERIAL

 

OPERATING COMPANY:
EMCOR Services New England Mechanical (NEMSI)

CLIENT:
ORAFOL Americas

PROJECT DURATION:
9 months

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

		Design/Build
		Bid Build
		New Construction
		Retrofit/Renovation
		Electrical Construction
		Mechanical Construction
		Facilities Services
		Consulting Services