Optyma Plus™ will be securing food quality in retail stores in Greenland

Thursday, 3 November, 2011

Chosen because of a very short payback time up to 90 units have already been bought and are under installation.

As KNI A/S analysed their refrigeration installations in their 66 Pilersuisoq stores (shops like 7-Eleven) in Greenland calculations showed that a replacement of the different refrigeration units to Optyma Plus™ would be a very good solution in many of the stores. Calculations showed a payback time of approximately 1½ year. In practice the calculations have turned out to be very realistic. For several of the stores the payback time has only been ½ year.

The special climate on Greenland and their infrastructure makes the stores very dependent on well functioning refrigeration installations. Transport time between the different settlements is very long and difficult and during some parts of the year it can not be done or only through a troublesome journey. In some of the very hard to reach regions the stores refrigeration capacity is secured with a double system in the case of a breakdown.

A cold room can contain a whole society’s only supply of food for several months and therefore reliability of the refrigeration unit becomes very important. A visit to a store can include a sailing trip of 1.000 km. and take over 24 hours. All this makes it very important that the installations in the local food stores are functioning without faults.

Rasmus Frederiksen, technical manager at KNI A/S, who has been in charge of the project says: "As we did the project calculations it was very important that what we presented to the board would also be proven possible in reality. With our calculations on payback times of 1½ year we were certain that it would also hold up in reality, but we had not anticipated that it could be as short a period as ½ year, which has proven the case in some places." And he continues: "In our evaluation of alternatives we looked at factors like energy consumption, silent operation and that installation could take place both outside and inside. The installations have run smoothly and our stores and neighbours are very happy with the reliability and silent operation".

The 50 units that have already been fitted now show big economical benefits such as: 

  • Less energy consumption
  • Fewer service visits and through that savings on travel expenses
  • Less food los as a result of more reliable units 

Rasmus Frederiksen, KNI A/S, underlines the silent operration of Optyma Plus™ with a story of a stores keeper who lived next to the stores who got out out of bed several times during the night to check that the unit was till running. The shop keeper was so used to being able the hear the old unit that it took some time to get used to the fact that silence did not mean that the unit had stopped, but just that Optyma Plus™ was so munch more silent than the old unit.

In the perspective of the many advantages KNI A/S is already now very satisfied with Optyma Plus™.

The next step that interest KNI A/S, is the possibility of remote monitoring through ADAP-KOOL®, which is possible with the new Optyma Plus™ New Generation. These units could be interesting for selected shops as it would be possible to handle eventual problems directly from the head office in Sisimut. Further advantages with Optyma Plus™ New Generation are the possibility for further energy savings as they are fitted with a new controller that regulates the crank case heater and fan motor.

KNI A/S are Very Satisfied with Optyma Plus™

KNI A/S was founded in 1992 in connections with the change of Kalaallit Niuerfiat (Former Royal Greenland Trading founded in 1774). The whole share capital of 300 mill. DKK is owned by the home rule of Greenland. KNI A/S employees 900 employees and run among other retail stores under the name of Pilersuisoq.

Pilersuisoq consists of all together 66 stores in cities, towns and settlements spread across several parts of Greenland – both east and west Greenland. The area streaches from Siorapaluk in the north to Aappilattoq on Greenlands southern tip. Pilersuisoq secures stable supplies to all – from the smallest settlements of 44 to 2 inhabitants to the larger towns of up to 2.000 inhabitants. Pilersuisoq's service goal is to make the stores a positive experience for the local society.

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