Situation

Greenpoint, New York is a mixed-use community that historically had an industrial makeup. Over the past several decades, many of the industrial properties have been converted to residential ones, posing unique challenges when it comes to balancing quality of life with economic/industrial interests. As a member of the Greenpoint community, Van Leeuwen was interested in reducing environmental impacts associated with their operations.

Solution

As part of a grant funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), ITAC and the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I) partnered up to reduce the environmental impacts from local manufacturers and improve the quality of life for both area residents and workers. Van Leeuwen was one of three companies chosen to participate in the grant based on their commitment to the environment and to sustainability. An assessment was performed as part of this grant, which resulted in identifying an opportunity to improve freezer energy efficiency through the implementation of a compact storage racking solution. In concert with the compact storage solution, an alternative process flow was developed, which incorporated visual controls to improve inventory management.

Results

Implementation of the compact storage racking solution improved the energy efficiency of the freezer by improving circulation and reducing the frequency of entry. As a result of the implementation, Van Leeuwen expects to reduce annual energy consumption of the freezer by at least 10% and increase the useful life of the freezer equipment. Moreover, the process modifications enable Van Leeuwen to improve inventory management and throughput, thereby reducing waste and increasing revenue.