Mark Cain – viessmann

Marc Cain GmbH Logistics Center in Bodelshausen

At its logistics center in Bodelshausen, fashion brand Marc Cain has opted for its own local heating network with AHI-Carrier Vitoflex 300-UF and Vitobloc 200 EM-20/39 for power generation.

Marc Cain Logistics building. Photo: © Carolyn Julia Baker

Premium women's clothing brand chooses AHI-Carrier power system

The snow-white production, warehouse and administrative buildings of Marc Cain GmbH are surrounded by a park with English lawns and ponds. Here at the head office in Bodelshausen, near Tübingen, you can still find one of the small number of clothing companies that have made the textile region of Swabian Alb famous.

Founded in 1973, the company is a globally active premium women's clothing brand with a share of production operations in Germany, employing around 1000 people. The selective distribution strategy includes 210 Marc Cain stores, 292 in-store stores, 397 customer customers and another 1,087 high-end specialty stores in 61 countries.

To ensure competitiveness, around €82 million has recently been invested in administration, production, research and development. Only 35 million euros were invested in a modern logistics center. A significant part of this investment was directed towards the construction of a new energy centre at the company's headquarters in Bodelshausen. Now, thanks to AHI-Carrier's highly efficient energy system, the clothing manufacturer heats its buildings with renewable energy sources and also generates its own electricity.

Local heating on site replaces district heating

In 2015, the company switched from the previous district heating provided by a local energy supplier to taking advantage of the newly installed district heating plant connected to the local heating network. "District heating was not what we had expected," explains Harald Scherm, who is responsible for building maintenance at Marc Cain, "so we decided to invest in our own local heating network at the same time as the construction of the new logistics centre," Scherm continues. This network supplies the entire Marc Cain campus, which has a total area of more than 55,000 square meters.

AHI-Carrier Vitoflex 300-UF pellet boiler. Photo: © Carolyn Julia Baker

Fully Automatic Pellet Boiler Covers Base Heat Load

In order to meet the requirements of the German Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEV), the company has chosen biomass as its main energy source from the outset. According to this decree, in new buildings, 25 percent of the energy needed to produce heat must come from renewable sources.

Therefore, the 950-kilowatt Vitoflex 300-UF pellet boiler was able to meet the basic demand for thermal energy and hot water. Automatic functions such as fuel delivery, ash removal and pneumatic cleaning of the heating surface, along with state-of-the-art safety equipment, ensure convenient and safe operation, and the combination of innovative combustion technology and modulated power control allows for an efficiency level of up to 95%. The cyclone filter and electrostatic filter trap all suspended particles in the flue gas, thereby ensuring low emissions. A fully automatic biomass boiler also offers maximum flexibility in the use of different fuels.

"Compared to wood chips, the use of pellets has proven to be more convenient to maintain," says Harald Scherm, explaining the decision to use wood pellets as fuel. He continues: "Another advantage was that all AHI-Carrier components came from a single source."

Peak loads are covered by the Vitocrossal 300 gas condensing boiler. The special design of the heat exchanger surfaces allows for high power while maintaining compact dimensions and low weight. Four buffer cylinders for heating water with a total volume of 20,000 liters were installed to store the generated heat. Hot water is supplied from a Vitocell 100-V hot water cylinder with a capacity of 300 liters.

CHP and photovoltaics for self-generation

In order to ensure the highest possible level of independence from the public grid, a Vitobloc 200 EM-20/39 cogeneration plant and a 450 kWh photovoltaic system were installed. The cogeneration plant with a capacity of up to 20 kilowatts was delivered as a prefabricated compact module, which allowed it to be put into operation quickly. It is used to supply heat and electricity depending on the need. Thanks to the integrated condensing technology, it uses the heat contained in the exhaust gases and converts up to 95 percent of the fuel used into heat.

Fully networked with the building management system

All energy generators are connected to the building management system and can be controlled and monitored remotely at any time.

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