8 minute read
Logistics, Lighting, Efficiency
Logistics, Lighting, Effi ciency
Warehouse upgrades lighting off its own shelves.
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Sometimes the answer to improving a facility’s environment and operations, while saving energy, is right on the shelf. At least that’s what Bay Logistics Inc., learned at its distribution center in Spring Lake, MI.
Bay Logistics is a leader in the warehousing and logistics marketplace, supplying transportation, warehousing, and logistics services to its customers for almost three decades. Conceived in the Detroit automotive trucking industry, the firm has evolved and diversified into new markets, including food and grocery, durable goods, chemicals, non-ferrous metals, and Class III Liquid Flammable HAZMAT containment. While the company has changed during the past 28 years, it consistently has maintained its mission of caring about the environment. It also has remained committed to maintaining quality, up-todate facilities in all segments of its operations. This includes lighting.
“We pride ourselves on operating an environmentally friendly business,” said Kurt Cuncannan, chief operating officer. “We also make investments in people, systems, equipment, and facilities to enhance our clients’ ability to operate faster, smarter, and more efficiently.”
LIGHTING PROGRESSION At its Spring Lake facility, Bay Logistics replaced its antiquated metal-halide fi xtures with six-lamp, high-bay, T8 fl uorescent fi xtures to illuminate its rectangular, 200,000-sq.-ft. metal-fabricated warehouse. The facility houses automotive products, plastic containers, food products, consumer electronics, and miscellaneous sundries. The warehouse has four- and fi ve-high double-deep static racking and four-high drive-in racking with open fl oor areas.
Recently the effectiveness of the T8 fixtures hanging from the facility’s 26-ft. ceiling was investigated by the company’s operations team. The team learned that the motion sensors were in excellent condition and didn’t require replacement. During the company’s scheduled
High-energy-effi cient, smooth-dimming, 15-W T8 LED linear tubes from EarthTronics deliver 146 lumens/W for Bay Logistics’ warehouse and offi ce space.
group re-lamping activities, they also wanted to determine if they could find a better solution to the fixtures’ existing 32-W fluorescent tubes.
Jon Swart, Bay Logistics’ vice president of operations, did his homework. To his surprise, he found the answer on his warehouse shelves—a customer’s LED product.
Bay Logistics warehouses and ships products for EarthTronics, a Muskegon, MI-based, energy-efficient lighting-solutions company. The company’s LED lamps, linear LEDs, and LED fixtures are sold under the EarthBulb brand to commercial and industrial facilities, hotels, restaurants, retail stores, and residential consumers. All EarthBulb lamps provide more than 80% energy savings.
Swart realized his customer could offer the best solution in Bay Logistics’ move away from fluorescent lighting. EarthTronics staff recommended the company invest in its high-energy-efficient, smooth-dimming, 15-W T8 LED linear tube that delivers 146 lumens/W, producing 2,200 lumens. The product features glass-tube construction that ensures proper cooling to support high lumen maintenance for a 50,000-hr.-rated life. The new T8 LED is engineered to work with popular dimming systems found in many meeting and conference rooms, as well as in energy-saving, daylight-harvesting applications.
PLUG AND PLAY It was an excellent fi t—delivering effi ciency not only in energy savings but also during the installation and in ongoing maintenance. The energy-effi cient T8 LED linear tubes are Design Light Consortium listed and UL rated for Type A plug-and-play on electronic fl uorescent ballasts. This T8 Type A, direct-install LED linear tube is compatible with instant start, program rapid start, and emergency back-up electronic ballast systems. Installers can change every lamp when retrofi tting a property without the services of an electrician or outside labor.
“The switch from fluorescent to LED tubes was extremely simple,” Swart said. “The T8 LED linear tubes were compatible with our existing fixtures’ ballast. We simply changed the lamp to start saving energy without reducing lumens.”
The company immediately began saving more than 50% on its lighting-related energy and anticipates an excellent return on investment with payoff in just 18 months from installation. A total of 1,900 fluorescent lamps consuming 32-W each were replaced with 15-W LED T8 lamps that provided 53% energy savings. Because the warehouse is a 24/7 operation, the return on investment is just nine months. ”Making this decision was an easy one,” said Cuncannan. “This came directly out of the operations cost budget and begins bringing real value to the bottom line quickly.”
The T8 lamp retrofit was done in the front offices as well as the warehouse. The improvement in quality of light was noticeable. The EarthTronics LED provides a high CRI value of 84, which, combined with the white 5000K color temperature, increased visual acuity in the warehouse. “Our team members quickly commented on the improvement in seeing and reading product labels and the typical paperwork done in the warehouse,” said Swart. “A well-illuminated work place is essential in a warehouse operation.”
“The LED linear tubes save us energy and are great for the environment,” Cuncannan concluded. “You can’t beat that combination.” CA
Want more information? To download the information listed below, visit commercialarchitecturemagazine.com/ 1709earthtronics.
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