Temperature Control Curtain – Floral Case Study

Mother’s Day is one of the busiest times of the year for a florist. For Kendal Floral Supply this presented a challenge. Kendal needed a way to keep arrangements cool without sacrificing valuable warehouse space the remainder of the year. When a contractor proposed building a permanent cooler room, Kendal recoiled and called Josh Welch, territory manager for Engineered Products, a Papé Company (Seattle, WA). Instead of a permanent room, Welch proposed installing InsulWall ® from Shaver Industries. InsulWall, an insulated curtain wall system, would keep the room at a constant temperature of 50 degrees and could be removed when the season was over.

Kendal Floral has developed an unprecedented system for getting the freshest floral product from farm to warehouse. At every step of the process, an effective cold chain is paramount to preventing dehydration and maintaining flower longevity. Mother’s Day presented a welcome challenge for Kendal – increased demand, requiring additional, temporary refrigerated space. To create the additional refrigerated space, a permanent wall was initially proposed – this was not only costly, but impractical- a room with a permanent wall would remain virtually unused the remainder of the year. InsulWall, the flexible thermal wall system, was evaluated to be the best solution for this temporary cold storage room because: • It has the capability to be taken down, stored, and re-installed for any spike in demand. • Its R-value combined with its tough vinyl exterior and double-batting antimicrobial core ensure optimal temperature control.

Engineered Products engaged Shaver Manufacturing to work closely with Kendal Floral to:

• Design InsulWall to leverage Kendal’s infrastructure utilizing existing walls and cooling systems.
• Engineer InsulWall to take into account the ceiling slope.
• Provide a panel with a weight less than 50 lbs. per square foot.
• Create short and long-term cost savings, factoring in InsulWall’s reusability.

Just prior to installation, Kendal decided to expand the dimensions – ultimately creating a 3,500 square foot x 37′ high enclosure. Even with the change order, it took only four weeks to manufacture, deliver and install InsulWall. Kendal Floral was striving to meet increased demand by creating a temporary cold storage room – quickly, with a wall system that was modular, flexible and thermal: AND at half the cost of the proposed permanent room.