Primus is proud to announce its project for United States Cold Storage (USCS) in Covington, TN was named Best Project – Manufacturing by ENR Southeast. This is the second major award the project has earned. In August, it received the National Award of Merit in the Industrial, Process and/or Research Facilities category from the Design-Build Institute of America.
Primus provided the full range of design and construction services on the 336,500 SF frozen food distribution facility. The building is plant-attached to an existing 815,000 SF ice cream production facility operated by Unilever. The two buildings are connected by a -20°F elevated corridor, making it one of the largest ice cream manufacturing plants in the world.
The facility utilizes an inbound product pallet handling system with two automated guided vehicles (AGVs) that move, load and unload pallets by themselves, like robots. The AGVs convey approximately 170 pallets per hour, 24 hours per day, seven days per week. The receiving area in the warehouse is equipped with computer controlled stacker cranes that distribute product to its assigned space.
United States Cold Storage and Unilever have a goal of LEED Silver for this project. Primus achieved LEED points by implementing a carbon dioxide/ammonia cascade refrigeration system with glycol defrost, LED lighting, renewable and/or recyclable construction materials and native plantings, to name just a few.
“It is a privilege to be recognized by ENR Southeast,” said Matthew Hirsch, President of Primus Builders. “We’re honored to receive this distinction from a publication that is considered the engineering and construction authority in this region.”