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Lighting
costs at a Congleton-based company have
been cut by almost a third thanks to
Ex-Or's energy cost-saving expertise.
Electricity
bills make encouraging reading at Airbags
International's purpose-built premises
at the town's Business Park. The Swedish-owned
company’s health and safety co-ordinator
Brian Jolley estimates that highly-efficient
light fittings combined with automatic
lighting control have slashed consumption
by 30 per cent.
"We
took a conscious decision to incorporate
as many energy-saving features as we
could into the design of the building,
and I am pleased to say it is now paying
dividends. The Ex-Or lighting control
system, in particular, has proved an
invaluable asset in enabling us to make
the most effective use of energy and
helping us keep down costs."
Airbags
International is a market leader in
vehicle airbag manufacture. The company
handles all aspects of the process -
from initial design and airbag weaving
to final assembly and exports all over
the world.
Around
750 people are employed as its two premises
in Congleton, 400 at Bromley Mill and
350 at Congleton Business Park. Much
of the two-storey building at the Business
Park is fitted with Ex-Or controls.
One
of the areas on the first floor with
automatic lighting controls is the spacious,
state-of-the-art technical services
office - a large, open plan room with
stylish Swedish pendant downlighters.
Other areas on the same storey are the
Computer Aided Design department, technical
director's suite and meeting room, other
meeting rooms and offices, corridors,
conference and board rooms and toilets.
On
the factory floor downstairs. Ex-Or
lighting controls are fitted in the
research and development area, testing
laboratories, test rig area, canteen,
offices and computer room.
Said
Brian: "Unfortunately, human nature
means that people often ignore notices
to switch off lights, and our way of
working also runs the risk of wasting
energy. But the flexibility and reliability
of Ex-Or control equipment has helped
us tackle both problems, and has proved
a real boon.
"In
the technical department, for example,
project engineers very often work out
of office hours. If the lights weren't
automatically controlled, all those
in the open-plan area would be left
on, even if only one small corner were
occupied.
"In
addition, our factory floor operates
round the clock, so there is the danger
of wasting energy in adjacent areas.
But having Ex-Or controls means the
lights are on only where and when they
are needed."
The
system is also adaptable. No on-off
switches are needed where it operates.
And key personnel have hand held remote
controllers so that they can override
the automatic lighting function when
necessary - to switch off lights for
an audio-visual presentation or to create
maximum light to examine detailed blueprints,
for example.
Security
staff are equally aware and appreciative
of the advantages. The system means
they can control the building at night.
Lights on in an area that should be
unoccupied at a particular time tell
them there must be an unauthorised person
on the premises.
Added
Brian: "Because Ex-Or controls
are so dependable and effective, staff
never mention them. That is very good
news for us, because it means the controls
are working properly. Their energy-saving
qualities and consistent performance
are great assets in the day-to-day running
of our busy company."
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