Smart lighting solutions for NFT

NFT, the UK’s market leader in chilled food and drink distribution, has invested in developing highly efficient and energy-conscious lighting solutions within its warehouses to ensure that it is operating with minimal carbon output while creating a more comfortable and productive workspace.

Charles Stephens, Technical Director at NFT, comments: “We trialed the new generation of high efficiency T5 fluorescent lights at our Daventry and St Albans sites and the performance was so impressive that we have fitted the new Middleton warehouse – which opened 1st October exclusively with these light fittings.

In the 70,000 sq ft chilled warehouse, we have installed 80 twin-tube lamps, each of which is fitted with a motion sensor. The nature of our fast-moving transshipment operation means that activity is concentrated in certain areas of the warehouse at certain times. If no activity is detected in an area for 15 minutes, the lamp placed there dims to 20% brightness. As soon as movement is detected, the lamp immediately strikes back up to full power.

The combination of fluorescent technology, dimming and motion sensing means that electricity consumption can be reduced by as much as 80% against traditional lo-bay SON warehouse lighting; a huge improvement in terms of energy use and cumulative cost savings. Colleagues at other sites, where these lamps are now in use, have also reported a more pleasant working environment, with greatly improved light levels.

Our next initiative to reduce power consumption, and thus carbon produced, is to look at the possibility of installing voltage optimisation equipment, particularly in those sites where we know the local voltage is prone to be variable.”

NFT is the UK’s leading provider of time critical logistics solutions for the food retail and manufacturing sectors, providing primary and secondary chilled services through their transport, warehousing and logistics solutions.

NFT

Dale Fiddy

Email: sales@nft.co.uk

www.nft.co.uk