Prisma Kaari, Helsinki

The installation was carried out by Viessmann Refrigeration Solutions prior to the signing of the Joint Venture with Epta in October 2024

Prisma Kaari, Finland- 500 meters of cabinets and freezers

Prisma Kaari, located in Helsinki, is one of the most groundbreaking hypermarkets in Finland.

"As Prisma, we have been a pioneer within HOK-Elanto, at the least in Helsinki metropolitan area. We were the first to implement continuous 24-hour opening hours", says Mr. Ilkka Riiali, executive director at Prisma Kaari.

"We are always open. We are not only an impressively huge grocery store; we also have the largest selection of utility items. If your television suddenly breaks in the middle of the night during an important program, you can get a new one here from us and you can immediately take it home and get to enjoy your show", Riiali laughs.

Long term cooperation

After thorough planning, an extensive reform was implemented in the year 2021, in which essentially the whole store was rebuilt anew. All old technology was discarded and, for example, the refrigeration cabinets were fully renewed starting from the background technology.

"We have over 500 meters of new refrigerated shelf space in the store. It contains everything from MD cabinets to food courts and freezers. In addition, the background refrigeration technology that is not visible to consumers, was renewed",Riiali says.

The whole package

"In such a large project it was important for Prisma Kaari to deliver a comprehensive service package. HOK-Elanto and Viessmann Refrigeration Systems have been in cooperation for a long time". Riiali says that it was easy to choose Viessmann as a partner when it comes to refrigeration cabinets and units. Viessmann was immediately convincing with their reliability and their comprehensive solutions.

"These are carbon utilising cabinets. These days environmental values are in a much larger role. We are a very large unit so this is a significant environmental act from us. Due to the volume, we ended up in large parts still using open devices. However, we calculated that we will still save 15-20% more energy in comparison to the old equipment even though we have much more refrigerated shelf meters", Riiali says contently.

The timetables held

Cooperation during the renovation went well. As for Viessmann, all deliveries arrived on time and installations were completed as agreed. According to Riiali there were no problems, even though this was one of the most substantial refrigeration projects in the scale of Finland.

"When you are talking about this number of appliances, there will always arise some surprises, but everything has been done properly", Riiali praises.

Refrigeration system and cabinet renovations are not done for periods of a year or two years. Instead, the equipment and appliances have to last 15-20 years. Cabinets and freezers of Prisma Kaari were 12-13 years old, and their service life was coming to an end.

"If we save almost a fifth in energy consumption every year, it will mean significant savings over the years. We have a feeling that Viessmann will provide us with such a whole that will work well for us", Riiali finishes.

"It was easy to choose Viessmann as a partner when it comes to refrigeration cabinets and units. Viessmann was immediately convincing with their reliability and their comprehensive solutions." -Ilkka Riiali, Executive Director, Prisma Kaari