US
Spring 2009
Developers Journal www.usdevelopersjournal.com
Wagner Meinert, Inc Putting Food on Our Tables
THE MAGAZINE FOR CONSTRUCTION EXECUTIVES
Wagner Meinert, Inc.
Putting Food on Our Tables Produced by Hanim Samara & Written by Holly Alexander Wagner-Meinert Incorporated (WMI) has played a central role in ensuring the safety of refrigerated and processed foods, as well as pharmaceuticals, fertilizers and other products, since 1991. Its expertise in manufacturing, refrigeration and safety has made it an
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industry leader in the Midwest and beyond. Timothy J. Wagner P.E. and Denny Meinert founded the firm in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Denny Meinert has
since retired, and Joe Deeter, Tim Ellison, Todd Light and Doug Zollinger, have become partners. WMI is a leader not only with their Design and Build Construction Projects and Preventative Maintenance and Emergency Service, but also in Safety Services and disaster response planning and training for companies and other emergency responders in compliance with the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration, OSHA, the EPA and the Department of Homeland Security guidelines. By providing one of the largest Industrial Refrigeration Service Groups in the Midwest, Wagner Meinert’s clients can be assured of support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, year round. Many well-known brands rely on the company’s expertise; The Dannon Company and other dairy products, Frozen Specialties frozen pizza and bagel bites products, and Dreyer’s / Edy’s Grand Ice Cream reach American and overseas tables through WMI installations. A number of private label turkey products for retail and restaurant companies, including Kroger, Super Valu Stores and Bob Evans Farms, are manufactured for customers by Cooper Farms.. Recently, The Dannon Company honored WagnerMeinert with their 2008 Capital Expenditure “Supplier of the Year” award, selecting them from over 3,000 suppliers Dannon uses in the U.S. One of the company’s strengths is its ability to provide turnkey equipment and systems, especially valued by clients because Refrigeration and other Food Processing systems are complex and vital to their operations 24 hours a day, seven days a week. President Timothy J. Wagner P.E. said Wagner-Meinert’s ability to pre-fabricate and build systems in its own facilities, then deliver and install them, allows the company to produce top-quality systems faster and more safely than on-site construction which runs the risk of being affected by weather and other challenges. “We can work more efficiently and provide higher quality control by working in our facility, as opposed to conditions like working on a roof in the rain, and can complete work throughout the year under rapidly expedited
schedules,” he explained. Turnkey Solutions also mean that specialty welding and other processes developed for specific kinds of systems can be used in construction, and keep downtime for the installation to a minimum. Another practice customers value is WMI’s commitment to “open architecture” sourcing for system components to ensure a reliable choice of products when customers need to repair, update or expand their systems, eliminating concerns that a vendor might go out of business or raise prices knowing they have a captive market. While best known for refrigeration equipment, WMI also provides design, construction and service for other mechanical systems including HVAC, Steam, Compressed Air,, Plumbing and Sanitary Stainless Food Processing production lines, plus Computer Controls Systems with software and hardware for monitoring and control systems. Talent and versatility are highly valued at Wagner-Meinert. “With our engineers’ expertise, system Engineering and Design have become as important as our original construction business,” Wagner said, noting that engineers are qualified not only in design, but they have four licensed Professional Engineers on staff, with the ability to approve and stamp work for local code authorities and building departments in a number of states. WMI also conducts pre-project planning studies and can provide overall coordination for projects. About 43 employees work from the central office and 60 to 75 in the field. Rebuilding an entire Cooper Farms plant flattened by a tornado in November 2002 presented the biggest challenge in company history, and WMI teamed up with local General Contractor CME and Electrical Contractor Votaw Electric. The 80,000 square-foot facility was up and running in just five and a half months, reopening as a new “state of the art” facility in June 2003. “Normal construction time on a project of that size and complexity, with high-tech equipment for a number of products, including systems for everything from raw meat
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entering the plant to equipment that cooks, cools, slices, pasteurizes, and packages the meat products in a sanitary and sterile environment, would have normally been 12 to 14 months, considerably longer than what our Team achieved on that project,” said Wagner. Wagner-Meinert’s previous experience working with the CME Corporation and Votaw Electric, two other leaders in food processing construction, and their combined Design & Build skills helped the three firms fast-track planning and construction, including turnkey operations allowing for winter construction. A European consulting firm, inspecting the new plant and its sanitary environment for one of Cooper’s clients, ranked it as the nicest meat-processing plant they had seen in the United States. The facility also won a construction
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excellence award from the Building Contractors Association of America. Staying busy, the company is currently in the planning stages for a blast-freezer project for Bob Evans Farms in Ohio and a new central refrigeration Ice Water and HVAC plant for Dannon Yogurt in Fort Worth, Texas. WMI provides a wide range of training, equipment and services for refrigeration, OSHA Process Safety Management and EPA Risk Management Plan. Most refrigeration systems are cooled with ammonia, which is the most efficient and environmentally friendly refrigerant. Both OSHA and the EPA require regular testing of all equipment, controls, and safety systems for proper operation, including a number of devices
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[The mortgage crisis] started in the residential market, then filtered down into the retail, condo, and hotel markets. Some projects have been canceled and some have been put on hold,” added Puetz.
to instantly detect refrigerant leaks. Wagner-Meinert’s safety programs, which are continually upgraded, start with 37 steps during construction to ensure the highest standards of safety and compliance in maintenance, risk management, emergency planning and emergency response. Because ammonia can quickly cause loss of consciousness and chemical burns, safety training and hazmat equipment are of paramount importance. The company provides both, along with a 24-hour crisis line backed by repair teams ready for emergency response. Wagner-Meinert specializes in the Industrial Food Processing and Distribution markets, also providing testing and scheduled preventive maintenance for compressors, condensers,
evaporators and make-up air units, plus HVAC, boilers, electronic controls, heat recovery and mechanical systems. Constant work to upgrade efficiency has dovetailed with green energy goals such as reduced fuel consumption. Several years ago, Wagner-Meinert designed a hot water heat recovery system for a Dannon plant in Minster, Ohio, using heat previously regarded as waste from a boiler chimney. “They’ve heated 60,000 gallons of 130-degree Fahrenheit hot water a day, and haven’t spent a dime on natural gas as the backup fuel, significantly reducing their carbon footprint,” said Wagner. Adoption of green technologies will be incremental, because plants and equipment are rarely updated all at once, but many of the existing plant systems are very good applications for heat recovery and conservation.
B.A. Romines designs, fabricates, and installs all your professional needs.
260.657.5500
11827 Hood Street, Harlan, Indiana 46743 Fax: 260.657.5551
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Because the food industry is less cyclical than many and Wagner-Meinert provides extensive maintenance, safety and training services as well as design and construction, the economic downturn hasn’t been as dramatic as in some industries. Noting that business doubled in a recent threeyear period, Wagner sees renewed growth as the economy improves. Attributing all of Wagner-Meinert’s success to their Team of Professionals, Wagner also stresses the importance of relationships. “We are very fortunate to have a Team of extremely talented people, with very strong relationships with suppliers, and we all treat clients like we would if it was our own plant. We all live by our motto “Our Reputation is Our Future” and we take that to heart with uncompromised integrity in every relationship. Whether the project is General
Construction, Electrical, Insulation, or Sheet Metal, we have been able to offer a real strong group of talent; a real synergy to provide our clients with very successful projects.”
COMPANY AT A GLANCE Established 1991 Employees 43 Central Office 60 - 75 Field President Timothy J. Wagner P.E.
www.wagner-meinert.com Over the years the employees of B.A Romines Sheet Metal have had the pleasure of working with W.M.I. Ours is a very fast paced industry; however it is not as difficult of a task when you are working alongside the professionalism that WMI brings to every jobsite. From the design phase, to the beginning of the installation, you know that you will be a part of a first class operation. Each member of WMI’s team has been handpicked to incorporate a “Super Bowl” team that is geared for success. We at B.A. Romines Sheet Metal appreciate each and every project that we work on for W.M.I. They are truly a class act. If we continue to work by the example that they lead, we will continue to grow in the right direction, as they have, over the years.
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[The mortgage crisis] started in the residential market, then filtered down into the retail, condo, and hotel markets. Some projects have been canceled and some have been put on hold,� added Puetz.
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Spring 2009
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Wagner Meinert, Inc. 7617 Freedom Way Fort Wayne, Indiana 46818 United States