Glee Schmidt, general manager of the trade center, managed the overall study effort and recognized the need for prompt action in order to modernize the aging central refrigeration systems. "We had been utilizing a 1970s-era central glycol distribution system originally installed for computer chip manufacturing," she said. Major equipment was failing and modernization was long overdue."
Several important factors were considered in the feasibility review process. These included the concerns over changing out the mechanical refrigeration system while preventing loss of product and business interruption, reducing system complexity, increasing overall reliability and energy efficiency, and providing for future growth. All the while, budget constraints were ever-present.