The Milton Keynes facility operated by the multinational industrial group has been equipped with a host of the latest high-efficiency LED lighting systems.
With interests in steel production as well as manufacturing ranging from elevators to high-speed trains, thyssenkrupp is one of the world’s most prominent diversified industrial groups. Based in Duisburg and Essen in Germany, but with locations in countries around the world, thyssenkrupp’s operations in the UK include a site in Milton Keynes that delivers a range of products for the aerospace industry.
Improving working conditions and energy efficiency are ongoing priorities, and it was for this reason that Tamlite Lighting was chosen to complete an extensive lighting upgrade at the Milton Keynes site. The project was instigated due to multiple pressing factors, including inadequate illumination in some areas and an overarching wish to reduce energy expenditure.
“In the narrow stock aisles the lighting was insufficient, and there were also replacement and maintenance issues stemming from the older fluorescent fittings,” explains Nathan Blanks, Health & Safety and Facilities Manager at thyssenkrupp. “We also wanted to reduce our environmental impact and benefit from the energy savings that we were aware would result from switching to the latest generation LEDs.” Installing the Tamlite MODLED LG PRO, with up to 125 lumens per Watt efficacy, thyssenkrupp continue to make significant energy savings.
CEF, the main Electrical Wholesaler, contacted Tamlite Lighting to work on the project due to CEF’s long-running and successful association with the lighting manufacturer. In addition to specifying and providing LED lighting, Tamlite’s expert in-house design team also recommended the installation of sensors to minimise unnecessary illumination.
The Tamlite MODLED LG PRO fittings were supplied for the office areas. These recessed panels are fitted with I-Tech low glare diffuser optics, ensuring that office areas could be sufficiently illuminated without producing intrusive light, allowing workers to be more comfortable and productive.
‘Impressive improvement’
“The replacement of the older fluorescent tubes was particularly welcome,” says Blanks, “given that there had been issues with some of them for a while, such as flickering.” He adds, “We knew that shifting to LED would eliminate this inconsistency as well as ensuring that replacement/maintenance costs in the future would be considerably lower thanks to the reliability and long-life expectancy of LED lighting.”
Tamlite and CEF worked in close cooperation with thyssenkrupp’s team of contracted electricians to ensure that the installation went as smoothly as possible, and with minimal disruption to the site’s normal operations. The end-result has brought about a dramatic upturn in lighting quality.
“The staff are extremely happy with the impressive improvement in the lighting conditions and are particularly pleased that the flickering is a thing of the past!” comments Blanks. “The narrow stock aisles are now much brighter and more easily navigable, while the lighting in the office areas is also more consistent” – a development that has been shown to contribute positively to staff well-being and productivity in different industrial sectors.
Blanks also reports that although detailed energy saving data is not yet available, initial results suggest that the targets for the new installation are looking very achievable. Further lighting upgrades in other areas of the site are also possible, as the Milton Keynes site works to minimise its carbon footprint as part of the overall thyssenkrupp corporate strategy.