Air Curtains For Temperature Control
Challenge
For thousands, attending dead-of-winter Packers games at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin is a rite of passage and a long-standing family tradition. With their breath appearing like smoke from beneath frozen (and sometimes icicle-laden) cheesehead hats, fans endure a wind-chill factor that takes the frigid weather into new definitions of “uncomfortable”. In spite of Mother Nature’s relentless determination to test every fan’s arctic sturdiness, when you run the Packers ProShop, you still bear the burden of providing a durable and proven reprieve from the intensity of the season for guests and shoppers.
The Solution
A seriously challenging problem can only be faced with a solution that is tougher. When renovators specified the Mars Air System solution for the retail store, they did so knowing what a formidable opponent the Mars unit is or harsh conditions in a state that ranks in the top ten for worst U.S. winters. Relentless wind, below-freezing temperatures, blowing snow, and icy sleet, all throw in the white flag of defeat when going head to head with the Mars Air Systems units. Using 84'' and 96'' Phantom units designed to recede into the aesthetic of the newly-restored Proshop, the Packers gear can now take center stage and consistent relief is on tap, no matter the winter conditions or how the game is going.
MARS IS A FORMIDABLE ALLY AGAINST HARSH WEATHER CONDITIONS
THE TITAN OF RETAIL TURNS TO THE TITAN OF TOUGH
When your supercenter stores on average 179,000 sq. ft., you stock a lot of shopping carts to roll through the dozens of sprawling aisles. And when the shopping experience can make the difference between a shopper in your store versus one staying home to buy online, the savvy retailer knows the value of a warm, dry experience even when the weather is cold and wet for months on end. For Walmart, the dozens of shopping carts left out in parking lots returned to the interior carousel with cold metal that dripped rain and snow. The Mars Air Systems solution came to the rescue to relieve the pain of wet yet again. Much like other settings, where moisture demands extra drying time or creates a safety risk with slippery water, the wet shopping carts at Walmart are both uncomfortable for shoppers and track water through the store. By applying the Mars solution, with its focused stream of automatic warm air, Walmart Supercenter managers can control the moisture and chill on the shopping cart, diminish the moisture streaming into stores that creates slippery floors, and now ensure a true Walmart welcome.
MAXIMIZE MONEY-MAKING INTERIOR SPACES
Being asked to partner with what may be the most beloved American treasure is a big responsibility. It means helping to create a special experience for the more than four million tourists (Americans and foreign visitors) who visit the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island every year. While studies consistently affirm that consumer buying intention increases with warmth (Journal of Consumer Psychology), the prevailing winds off the Atlantic created an ongoing chill at this national monument, causing discomfort for gift shop visitors. But when four of Mars Air Systems’ electric-heated air curtains were installed to form an invisible barrier to the wind gusts and contribute to a consistent temperature at the site’s gift shop, the entire interior space (including entryways) was liberated from the wind and restored to profitable comfort.
THE KING OF SHIPPING FINDS A DEPENDABLE PARTNER
When you process and ship more than 1 billion packages a year through more than 150 fulfillment and sorting centers, those vast working spaces need to be consistently clean and comfortable despite dozens of wide openings for people and equipment to pass through 24/7. One Amazon center is so large it’s the size of 28 football fields. These facilities are known to have internal temps reach over 90°F, which is a common challenge for large industrial spaces. And while goods move in and out as quickly, employees are long-term guests who have to deal with the air quality and temperature constraints for hours each day, year after year. Industrial facility managers need consistent durable solutions customized for their unique climate and constraints. So Amazon’s facility managers called in the titan of tough. Across the U.S., the Mars air curtain now stands guard at Amazon fulfillment and sorting facilities and manages their many large dock doors. They safeguard against air transfer and pollutant infiltration, while keeping passages free and clear from obstructions that lead to accidents.
PLASTIC STRIP CURTAINS OUR NUMBER ONE HAZARD
In their 62,000 sq. ft. facility, Empire Packaging and Displays produces $50M annually in corrugated boxes and power wing displays, many of which give food producers the means to package and ship products in hygienic envelopes. The Empire team realized that “plastic strips were the number one hazard in the factory – even more than the equipment we used,” said co-owner Hal Mottet, “because they were constantly dirty, had turned cloudy after a month of use, and were often pushed aside by staff who found them cumbersome and intrusive to their work.” The Empire team discovered that for a few dollars in electricity per month they could achieve a safe and effective barrier to keep dust, debris, and flying insects out of the plant, with the bonus of a more productive climatic conditions for workers. With the installation of three Mars air curtains over their 14-foot dock doors, “The plant is definitely more comfortable and visibility around the dock doors is at all-time highs which eliminates our worries about worker safety.