Ardo UK Mobile Racking Facility Reduces Annual Lighting-Related Energy Costs by 97% With Digital Lumens Intelligent LED Lighting System

Using the Intelligent Lighting System, Ardo UK has gained brighter, higher quality light, while reducing the facility's 812,344 kWh annual lighting-related energy use to just under 16,687 kWh -- saving £55,000 ($70,000) per year. Previously, the facility used 400-Watt high-intensity discharge lamps, which were upgraded to the Digital Lumens 13,000-lumen intelligent LED fixtures with integrated occupancy sensors in every fixture. Rapidly accumulating energy savings on lighting and refrigeration enable a payback period of less than 1.8 years, with maintenance-free fixtures that eliminate the re-lamping and re-ballasting costs associated with traditional alternatives.

"Month after month, we are saving an incredible amount of energy with the Digital Lumens system, while our light quality has actually improved," said Jon Barnes, Supply Chain Director for Ardo UK. "Quite truthfully, we are surprised by how much we have been able to drive down energy usage, and by the level of control we now have over lighting within our facility. LightRules lets us easily adjust fixture settings and document the savings through built-in reports, enabling us to see exactly how we are doing. No other option we looked at provided this level of integration and control over fixture timeout and dimness settings, which has been so central to our ability to optimize lighting delivery and maximize savings. Our only regret with the Digital Lumens system is that we didn't implement it sooner."

The Ardo UK management team turned to the Titchfield Group, specialists in building refurbishment and construction, to manage the entire lighting project, from evaluation and design to review and installation. Hands-on and adding value during every step of the process, Simon Whittle, Head of Lighting and Innovation for the Titchfield Group, said, "Following an extensive review, we recommended the Digital Lumens system for its ability to deliver unmatched energy efficiency savings to our client; for its completely integrated, end-to-end approach to lighting that addressed all the needs within Ardo's mobile racking facility; and, for its superior illumination qualities. The results exceeded our client's expectations and speak to the remarkable advances Digital Lumens has achieved with its Intelligent LED system."

Ardo's mobile racking storage system utilizes limited warehouse space more effectively by expanding and contracting moveable racks via a track system to increase usable space. As the racks open, integrated occupancy sensors within each Digital Lumens fixture progressively turn lights on to provide security lighting for facility personnel. If an aisle is subsequently unoccupied for more than 30 seconds, the lighting turns off until a sensor is reactivated -- by a forklift operator, for example -- and instantaneously reaches full illumination when needed. For aisles, Ardo dims lighting to 20% when the space is unoccupied and to 0% in less traveled areas, to increase the savings while ensuring workplace safety and security.

"The resounding success of the Ardo project is a win-win for everyone involved -- the Titchfield Group, Ardo UK and Digital Lumens," said Michael Feinstein, Digital Lumens Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "With today's generation of intelligent LEDs, the lighting challenges associated with traditional solutions -- high energy use and maintenance, poor performance and light output, rapid lumen-depreciation and frequent re-lamping -- are completely solvable. The savings drive rapid payback and the lowest total cost of ownership of any lighting alternative."

About Ardo UK:
Ardo UK is part of the Ardo Group, one of Europe's largest food companies and a leading supplier of high-quality frozen fruit, vegetables and carbohydrates (potato, rice and pasta) to customers in the retail, food service and industrial ingredients marketplaces. Based in Belgium, the Ardo Group operates 15 production and packing facilities in eight European countries, supplies more than 600,000 tons of frozen fruit, vegetables, pasta and rice to 54 countries each year and records sales in excess of 600 million Euros annually.

About Titchfield Group:
Established in 1994, the Titchfield Group (www.titchfieldgroup.com) specializes in property and building refurbishment, and is the first place people look for solutions when it comes to repairing, refurbishing and planned maintenance for both residential and commercial property. The company's experienced management and teams of highly trained, reliable tradesmen work in unison to deliver seamless results across the spectrum of projects Titchfield undertakes for its clients. The Titchfield Group maintains its headquarters in Cuffley, Herts, and serves customers throughout the UK and Ireland using its extensive network of depots within the territory.

About Digital Lumens:
Digital Lumens develops Intelligent LED Lighting Systems that are proven to reduce industrial customers' lighting-related electricity expenses by up to 90%. With this System -- smart lights, wirelessly networked together and centrally managed -- the company is defining a new class of LED lighting that maximizes both delivered light and energy efficiency. For more information, please visit www.digitallumens.com.