*$25,000 government grants currently available for food and beverage manufacturers - contact us for details - info@austeplighting.com.au*
LED lighting upgrades help food manufacturing businesses run more efficiently, and increase safety. While the requirements for lighting in food manufacturing facilities are similar as with previous technology (e.g. ensuring luminaires don't have loose parts that could fall in food, ensuring light fixtures have smooth surfaces rather than edges where dust and food can accumulate, and ensuring higher lux levels for inspection areas) there are other things to consider when installing LED.
Having installed LED lights for clients ranging from Kraft Heinz to Lion Nathan, Austep can help with all of this.
The Business Case for Upgrading to LED
With an annual ROI usually around 30% (due to power and maintenance savings), upgrading your old, outdated lights to LED makes economic sense. 30% is a better annual return than most shares or real estate investments offer.
The ESG Case for Upgrading to LED
Since 15%-20% of the world’s electricity comes from lighting, it’s also an important step in reducing emissions, and because LED lights last so much longer, it also helps to minimise resource use and landfill.
The Real Lifespan of LED
But what does the “50,000 hours” you see on most LED datasheets actually mean?
This is actually a measure of how long the LED chip’s inside the light will last, and doesn’t reflect the lifespan of the electronic components (which commonly range from 20,000 hours to 30,000 hours).
Furthermore, the 50,000hr chip lifespan is an L/B rating – which reflects a point where X% of the batch tested (the B rating) will have failed or dropped below X% light output (the L rating). Usually this is L70B50 – meaning “the point at which 50% of the chips will fail or drop below 70% light output”. More high-end manufacturers often quote more stringiest metrics e.g. L80B10 (the point at which 10% of the chips will have failed or dropped below 80% light output).
All that said, LED light’s do last a lot longer than older technologies, especially if you choose high quality products.
LED for Food Manufacturers
“Rising electricity and gas costs are hampering the competitiveness and profitability of the domestic food and grocery manufacturing industry” – CLIVE STIFF – AUSTRALIAN FOOD & GROCERY COUNCIL
The benefits of using LED lights in food manufacturing facilities include;
• Longer lifespan = Less downtime and plant shutdowns
• No UV and less heat = Less impact on perishables (food will last longer)
• Lower heat + better switching = Suited to cold rooms (cooling costs will be lower, and the lights can be switched on and off frequently if needed)
• No glass or mercury + higher CRI = Safety and quality assurance for food production
Austep Lighting Solutions for Food Manufacturers
As a company “small enough to care but big enough to deliver”, Austep Lighting has delivered lighting upgrades for multiple ASX listed companies in the food industry such as Lion Nathan, KFC, McCormick Gourmet Garden and Golden Circle.
We are often called in to fix issues cause by others who have previously installed poor quality LED’s (e.g. streetlights that have failed within a few years), non compliant LED’s (e.g. high glare lights not compliant AS 4282), poorly selected LEDs (e.g. lights with no replaceable parts) or simply to help tackle high power bills.
We are also a Positive Impact company who donated 50% of profits to charity, has advanced recycling programs, plants trees for every job we deliver etc. We go above and beyond with ESG and consider embodies emissions packaging, modularity, design efficiency etc.
We ensure compliance with Australian standards (right down to the little details like ensuring there is a green light for your emergency eye wash stations as per AS 4775) and high light quality (e.g. 90 CRI highbays for food facilities, high TM30 ratings, low glare optics, low SDCM, and low flicker etc) to enhance production line efficiency and occupant wellbeing.
We also think long term for our clients and use lights with replaceable parts, whereas many competitor LED's have no replaceable parts.
Conclusion
LED upgrades present an excellent business case, and also provide environmental benefits. However they are easy to get wrong and there are more and more sites with non compliant LED lights, poor light quality, and lights with no replaceable parts. Austep Lighting has a national network of contractors and manufacturers and past experience with lighting Food Manufacturing Facilities to ensure the best outcome for your factory.