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New Priva BlueID smart building management system installed to ensure ‘complete control’ and perfect environment for flower distributors

The expertise of CambridgeHOK has ensured that a leading UK flower distributor is ‘future-proofed’ and set to benefit from the increased efficiencies and controls offered by the latest smart building management systems and technologies.

JZ Flowers & SuperFlora, leading suppliers of flowers and plants to mass market and online retailers, has upgraded to the latest Priva building management system at its head office and flagship packhouse and state-of-the-art cold storage and production facilities in Newport, East Yorkshire.

As the business handles, packages and distributes millions of flower stems to distribute bouquets to supermarkets and online retailers, it became clear in recent times that it needed to upgrade its building management system, as replacement parts, and software support, were in short supply.

Duncan Grant, Senior Controls Engineer at CambridgeHOK, says it has seized the opportunity to take advantage of the latest technologies on the market, having completed a four-week system replacement project.

“We were involved in installing the previous building management system and control panels for this customer many years ago, and that system has provided all the business has needed over the years to run its operations efficiently and reliably,” said Mr Grant.

“However, technology advances every day, and that old system was no longer being fully supported by the manufacturer, meaning replacement parts were becoming short in supply, with software support also no longer available.

“For that reason, we alerted the customer to the situation and advised it was time to review the position, and the company has taken the opportunity to invest in the latest advancements and technologies on the market, reflecting their commitment to ensuring their products are of the highest quality, and market leading.”

Cloud-based Priva BlueID system installed

JZ Flowers & SuperFlora opted for a completely new smart, cloud-based Priva system, which not only enables complete control of all buildings used, from offices and production areas to goods in and out bays, but will also send notifications as soon as any of the parameters set across the system are not met – such as a room temperature being 0.1°C out.

Mr Grant says the business will benefit from ‘complete monitoring and control at their fingertips’ of every aspect of managing their buildings.

However, he says the task of replacing old for new, on a site in continual operation in handling cut flower stems, was a huge challenge, ensuring plant rooms remained running.

“It really was a challenging job, not only from a technical aspect, but also from a planning perspective, as we had to ensure we didn’t affect the environment where flower stems were being handled,” he said.

“We planned the job in four stages, for which preparation was as essential as any, as we ensured we had a structured programme set out, and all the equipment and expertise needed, before we started.

“The changeover of the existing Priva for the new Priva hardware took a couple of weeks, as we had to upgrade eight major control panels and a few smaller ones, one at a time, and keep them operating too as the work took place.

“Finally, we then went through a stage of testing and checking of everything, before spending time ensuring the customer knew how everything works, and answering any questions.

“They are now future-proofed for the next 10 years at least, and in today’s modern world where technology advances so quickly, that is a significant length of time.

“The site managers now have all the data on the performance of their buildings at their fingertips, from the energy costs and water consumption to temperatures. They can control everything remotely and will receive notifications if anything goes beyond the set parameters, such as the temperature in areas where flowers are being handled and stored.

“Another advantage of the new Priva cloud system is it allows the HVAC service company technicians remote access to the equipment they look after too, which is especially important as they are on 24/7 call-out

“It really does give them complete control, and as the installers, we are also notified of any changes or alerts, so we can offer our immediate support if ever needed too.”

System has already improved efficiencies

Damian Conroy, Chief Financial Officer at JZ Fowers & SuperFlora UK, said: “We’re very pleased with the installation of the Priva BlueID system.

“It has helped us to modernise how we manage our operations day to day, and having quicker access to key controls, we’ve already noticed improvements in energy use, enhanced sustainability performance, and more stable working temperatures.

“At JZ Flowers & SuperFlora UK we are always looking for ways to improve efficiency and stay ahead, and this felt like a practical step forward.

“We would like to thank the team at CambridgeHOK who were easy to work with and kept things moving, we really appreciated their support and expertise throughout this project.”

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