The ever-increasing demand for next day service has driven online retailers to re-think their warehouse strategy and maximise the square footage of their existing building by introducing mezzanines and pick towers, supported by automation to keep up with demand.
At Ecolighting we have much experience of lighting mezzanine areas as part of our specialist LED lighting installations for warehouses. Here we explain some of the other considerations when designing the installation of mezzanine floors:-
Lighting infrastructure
Busbars are now becoming irreplaceable simply because of the convenience and safety factor. When using traditional cables, the cost of cabling and trunking and the time taken for installation is much higher than busbars as well. Installing busbars over conventional cabling has a range of advantages some of which are mentioned below:
- On-site installation times are reduced compared to hard-wired systems, thus leading to cost savings.
- It provides increased flexibility in design and versatility with regard to future modifications; tap-offs can normally be added or removed with the busbar live, eliminating production down time.
- Busbar trunking has several key advantages over conventional forms of power distribution including:
(a) Increased flexibility in design and versatility with regard to future modifications.
(b) Increased safety features brought about by the use of high quality, manufactured components, which provide greater safety and peace of mind for specifiers, contractors and end-users.
(c) Very compact so provide space savings, key when installing structures like mezzanine floors.
Lux levels
Mezzanines are by nature dark environments so careful consideration to reflectance values must be taken to ensure that the right light levels are delivered to ensure staff can see product barcodes when picking. Typically, Ecolighting designs to 300 lux at floor level to accommodate this requirement.
Voestalpine
“As part of some general improvements to the warehouse we decided to switch to LED lighting to reduce our running costs. We chose to work with Ecolighting as they are local to us and have already done a great job in our rear warehouse. We found they were the best solution for our requirements and with their new LED luminaires we are now getting improved light levels at a lower energy usage. We are very pleased with the results.”
Simon Corbett, Financial Director
Sprinklers
Depending on the type of mezzanine floor, it is not uncommon to see sprinklers systems installed which take precedent in terms of their location throughout the mezzanine floor. Lighting often has to be designed to accommodate these and will mean that it’s imperative to counter the offset nature of the location of the lights and ensure that the product selected has a wide beam angle to ensure that pick faces are lit evenly.
The Sapphire from Ecolighting is one of the company’s most popular LED luminaires for use in commercial and industrial environments and is perfect for mezzanine floors and pick towers. Manufactured by Ecolighting in the UK, the Sapphire features high output chip-on-board LEDs and OSRAM driver encased in a linear body with a polycarbonate diffuser and optional PIR sensor, all rated IP54. With a 5 year product warranty and 12 month installation warranty, it all makes commercial sense for a maintenance-free solution.
In general LED lighting has enormous benefits: it can save up to 80% in energy and CO2 costs, has much longer life of up to 50,000 hours so saving on lamp replacement costs and maintenance, freeing up valuable time for the maintenance team to deal with other onsite issues.
Data, power, heating and ventilation
Most mezzanines will have data and power requirements to facilitate work and packing stations, some will also require heating and ventilation to ensure a comfortable working environment for staff during either harsh winters or hot summers, all of which can be facilitated by our in-house mechanical and electrical divisions, Ecolectrical and Ecomech.
Here are some examples of recent LED lighting installations for significant companies around the UK where mezzanines have been lit with LED as part of the lighting schemes.
Stapletons
Ecolighting UK Ltd has recently won an £850,000 contract with Stapletons Tyres to install LED lighting into all its 11 warehouses around the country saving the company in excess of 50% energy and CO2 costs as well as significantly improving light levels.
Depending on the actual distribution centre building, Ecolighting has installed LED lighting in the warehouse aisles, at mezzanine level, in the despatch areas, under the external canopies, in the car parks and in many distribution centres there was office lighting installed too.
The projected financial savings put forward by Ecolighting illustrate a very short return on investment, with payback averaging just 1.75 years across all the distribution centres. In addition by investing in the LED lighting schemes, Stapletons Tyres attracts an enhanced capital allowance (ECA) of 19% of the investment able to be reclaimed in the first year.
Mantra Learning
Manufacturers and installers of energy efficient lighting solutions EcolightingUK is glad to support leading training provider to the logistics and automotive sectors Mantra Learning.
For the Manchester site’s mezzanine area, the Sapphire luminaire was chosen. Sapphire from Ecolighting is one of the company’s most popular LED luminaires for use in commercial and industrial environments. Manufactured by Ecolighting in the UK, Sapphire features high output chip-on-board LEDs and OSRAM driver encased in a linear body with a polycarbonate diffuser, all rated IP54.
Debenhams
Ecolighting UK has recently been specified for the new LED lighting at the Debenhams warehouse in Peterborough to upgrade the previous fluorescent systems.
Paul Street, Engineering Manager at Debenhams commented, “Ecolighting won the tender for the lighting upgrade and based on our past experience with them we were delighted to be working with them again. We needed lighting that was specific to the project; the mezzanine floor is fitted with shelves and has narrow aisles so we required a system that matched the arrangement of the warehouse.”
He continued, “Ecolighting offers a specialist LED system that is energy saving and works well with the control system we currently have in place. The lights time out when an area is not in use and with the five-year guarantee, 12-month installation warranty and the fittings being maintenance-free, we’re very happy with the results. We wouldn’t hesitate to work with Ecolighting again in the future.”
Butcher’s Pet Care
Manufacturers and installers of energy efficient lighting solutions EcolightingUK has recently installed new LED lighting at the Butcher’s Pet Care warehouse facility in Crick to upgrade the company’s previous systems to Ecolighting’s most popular fittings.
The company had its entire site retrofitted using Ecolighting’s recommended LED luminaires, of which 647 were installed internally and 107 externally.
Butcher’s Pet Care set a brief of a zero cost (zero capital outlay) project which was facilitated through Ecolighting’s new lease purchase offering. The solution meant that the company wouldn’t pay any capital upfront and would just pay a monthly lease purchase cost, which was outweighed significantly by the monthly savings.
The company was paying around £12,000 per annum just maintaining its existing system. With the difference between the lease purchase monthly payment and the monthly energy saving standing at some £3,400 per month the energy savings with the new LED lighting are over £40,000 per annum. Based on this, Ecolighting was chosen for the job for its ability to provide a bespoke solution, zero capital outlay and the quality of its products.