Arandell Corporation

As one of the largest web offset printing and binding facilities in the country, Arandell Corporation, headquartered in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, provides high-quality premedia, catalog printing, mailing, distribution, list management, database marketing, mobile solutions, logistics and consulting services to its partners in the retail and direct mail catalog markets.

“Arandell has always been known as a high-end, premier catalog printer,” says President and CEO Brad Hoffman. “But what sets us apart is our ability to go beyond the printed page, offering multi-channel strategies, including logistics, mailing, database management, circulation planning, creative services and mobile solutions that result in sales.”

Providing these services and consistently meeting customer demands requires a facility that often runs 24/7. Arandell operates out of a 565,000-square-foot structure that houses nine YORK® YS screw chillers, which range in capacity from 160 to 400 tons. Together, these chillers provide 2,400 tons of cooling to the facility, which is critical in the printing process. “Our printing presses generate a significant amount of heat, which makes the job of the chillers vitally important to our operation,” says John Reinert, Director, Equipment Maintenance at Arandell. “We have built redundancy into our cooling system, because we just can’t afford a disruption that is the result of too little chilled water.”

To ensure uninterrupted uptime at the plant, Arandell has a Planned Service Agreement with Johnson Controls that covers all nine YORK chillers, which are equipped with the company’s Smart Connected Chiller technology. Smart Connected Chillers integrates industry-leading remote monitoring and analysis tools to provide proactive maintenance and faster response times for the chillers under the agreement.

Through a Secure Connection to Smart Connected Chiller Cloud-based Analytics Platform, Johnson Controls: 

• Monitors Arandell’s chillers through its Remote Operations Center (ROC) for critical alarms 24/7/365 and notifies the local Johnson Controls branch in Milwaukee if any issues arise. 
• Provides the local Johnson Controls technician with access to the chillers’ data and current operating conditions via smartphone, PC or tablet. 
• Collects and stores chiller operational data for analysis and troubleshooting 
• Delivers chiller health reports that give Arandell an overview of their chillers’ performance and any potential problem areas. 
• Gives local, regional, national and global experts access to operational and trend data so they can assist in troubleshooting and resolving difficult issues. 

According to Shane Vant, truck based service manager at Johnson Controls Milwaukee branch, Arandell was the first Milwaukee branch customer to use Smart Connected Chillers. 

“Arandell has been a Johnson Controls customer for several decades and has utilized the Metasys® and YORK products throughout that time period,” says Vant. “So, when I learned about the Smart Connected Chiller services offering, I thought the program would benefit their 24/7 operation. After all, if they don’t have chilled water, they can’t run their presses.” 

Service Instills Confidence 

Arandell added Smart Connected Chillers to their Planned Service Agreement in 2013. Today the company is enjoying the many benefits the program offers, perhaps none more important than the confidence that their chillers will be operational around the clock. 

“Knowing that our chillers are being monitored 24/7 and our Johnson Controls technicians can always look at the operational aspects of the machines on the Smart Connected Chillers app gives us peace of mind. We can be sure that our techs will let us know about anything unusual right away, even if they aren’t physically present onsite,” says Bruce Turner, Manager, Mechanical Department. “Ultimately, this makes our chillers more reliable and dependable.” 

Additionally, by collecting and storing operation data for analysis and troubleshooting, the Smart Connected Chillers technology helps Arandell detect deteriorating conditions and potential issues before they become serious problems. 

Delivers Peace of Mind 

“All of this information allows us to be proactive with customers like Arandell, who view us as a partner in their success. Through our technicians, we’re able to build solid, trusting relationships with them,” says Vant, who recalled a time when one of his technicians was on vacation, received a notification regarding one of the Arandell chillers and immediately got ahold of a team member in Milwaukee who took care of the problem. 

“Our customer still talks about our rapid response to that notification,” says Vant. “Our technicians are committed to their customers, and our customers know that. We can provide the same level of service remotely, because we’re always checking the information regularly transmitted to us. That’s peace of mind for our customer. That’s the value this product delivers, day in and day out.”