AgroChem, an innovative manufacturer of products to alleviate hygiene and sanitation challenges facing dairy producers around the globe, was planning to build a new 35,000 square foot, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Saratoga Springs, NY to accommodate their booming growth. With an emphasis on building with attractive, energy-efficient products, AgroChem’s design and construction team turned to Metl-Span.
“Projects of this type require a lot of planning and discussions with the owner as to the nature of the proposed use,” says John A. Paone, RA, project architect at Paone Architecture of Saratoga Springs. “With the building and energy codes also becoming more and more stringent, insulated metal panels (IMPs) for the wall easily addresses numerous requirements which allowed us to focus on the more complex aspects of this project.”
AgroChem teamed with local general contractor Munter Enterprises, Inc. of Middle Grove, NY to construct their new facility. Munter has completed numerous successful projects using Metl-Span insulated panels and accessories.
AgroChem develops and manufactures cleaning and sanitizing products for dairy farms and food processors in the U.S., Canada, Japan, Korea, Russia and western Europe. Its products are used to keep herds healthy and high performing. Their purpose is to keep bacteria out of dairy products and to also prevent cattle from spreading disease through processing plants.
“The primary design goal was to house a chemical manufacturing, processing and storage facility along with supporting office spaces and labs,” Paone says. “With project budgets always a concern, creativity is necessary with simple things, such as colors, panel and window layouts and even light fixture styles and placement, to develop a building that is more than just a box.”
Paone prescribed just more than 18,000 square feet of Metl-Span’s CF36 insulated metal panel for the AgroChem facility in the industrial park. The CF36 has a 2-inch urethane center with a 26-gauge Galvalume architectural flat exterior surface in Snow White and a 26-gauge Galvalume Light Mesa interior finish in Igloo White.
“A traditional batt insulation and metal panel system was looked at briefly, but due to stringent energy code requirements and the need for a more durable interior finish, IMPs better fit the need,” Paone says. Mike Munter, Vice President of Munter Enterprises, adds, “Insulated metal panels were chosen primarily for their combination of energy efficiency and ease of installation. In one wall visit, we have a complete exterior/interior finish combined with a continuous R-20 plus layer of insulation installed-done!”
The project was completed in June 2016.