Mainfreight in s-Heerenberg The Netherlands, controls lighting online with Nedap Light Management

“Mainfreight and Nedap had a strong desire to work closely, which formed the basis for this project”, explains Wilfrank Knuiman, Buildings Manager for the logistics service provider. Thanks to its close contacts with the company’s own installer Kremer, Mainfreight knew that Nedap had an innovative light management solution.”

Controlling the lighting level

Warehouse employees are carrying out assembly work for the logistics service provider in a hall measuring twelve metres in height in one of the warehouses belonging to Mainfreight. “A hall of this height is actually not suitable for carrying out these activities and the need arose to better be able to manage the quantity of light in a specific location. Luxon has been so successful that we have already expanded one cell into two assembly cells.

Luxon Dynamic Light Management has since been tried out in a number of locations in the warehouses of Mainfreight. Wilfrank Knuiman is convinced of the energy-saving abilities of the new LED lighting and can offer an estimation of the potential savings: “We have removed fifty traditional luminaires in our cross-dock and have replaced these with LED luminaires that are controlled online by Luxon. It is amazing to see that we are now making energy savings of 65% there and, more importantly, we have much more light”.

Saving energy costs

Operating in a sustainable manner and saving energy costs go hand in hand at Mainfreight. The control of the Luxon solution was relatively simple. Wilfrank Knuiman explains: “Our Operations Manager determines remotely which areas require more or less light. He can respond to the amount of light required for each light and each location. It is truly a huge improvement.” The Buildings Manager is keen for the system to be rolled out at more locations, so that everyone who is authorised to do so can work with this. “As activities vary so much in each hall, this allows you to achieve the greatest saving. I do not have any concerns about the light output as it is excellent.”

Sustainability is high on our checklist

It was not easy for Mainfreight to operate in a sustainable manner until very recently. The logistics service provider has a number of warehouses, with different logistics activities being carried out in each warehouse. Precise control of the lighting requirement, which is now possible thanks to Luxon by Nedap, helps to ensure that there is good lighting between the racks of each assembly line, cross-dock operation or order picking activity. Buildings Manager Wilfrank Knuiman explains: “As the LED lighting offers much more light, it is as though you are driving into a molehill in your forklift when you enter an area where the old lighting is still in use.” A positive side effect of investing in more LED luminaires is that Mainfreight can include this in the step-by-step plan in the area of sustainability that the government requires of large companies such as Mainfreight.

(Article provided by Nedap)