At the Logistics Centre located in Høje Tåstrup, Denmark a sustainable and more efficient logistics center was the top priority and main concern. Here, 180 people work around the clock to get the daily shipment of 2,500 pallets of beer and other beverages off to stores, bars and restaurants. The daily regime involves 77 trucks transporting the heavy load of beverages to their destinations. When these trucks return, the used kegs and bottles are cleared away and forwarded to Fredericia by train.

It is easy to get impressed by Carlsberg’s extremely effective logistics business and admire the carefully coordinated dance between forklifts and electric pallet trucks in the large warehouses. However, when taking a closer look, there is something even more impressive - they have an immense focus on initiatives to ensure safety comes first.

There are many safety measures throughout the logistics centre that aim to protect employees from occupational injuries. Walking and driving zones are clearly marked, warning tape to mark the potentially dangerous places, and video resources - all aim to educate, inform and integrate safety at the forefront of their operations and propel a ‘zero accidents’ ambition.

The logistics center is open around the clock, all year round, so naturally the lighting matters a great deal for improved safety: A clear and homogenous lighting of work and circulation areas facilitates orientation and can help to reduce accidents. Carlsberg was fully conscious of the outdated and inadequate lighting system that was serving the five large warehouses before the lighting upgrade and the issues it harvested.

The current conventional low light in some parts of the warehouse interior as well as exterior sometimes made it hard to navigate and work top efficiently. The possible ramifications on safety, productivity, and overall employee stimulus – especially for night shifts, were all too significant to ignore. There was also the problem of fluorescent tubes and metal halide lamps burning out during operational hours – this was due to the disruptive down time involved in replacements.

A light renovation was in order.

For Jesper Larsen, Head of Distribution East at Carlsberg, an improvement of the lighting was the next natural step on the road to increased safety and productivity. He recognized that a switch from conventional lighting to LED would not just provide large savings on electricity costs and CO2 emissions, but would also provide energy-efficient, flexible lighting solutions that were better fit for purpose.

Michael Hansson from the installer Kvalitek had composed a proposal for a lighting upgrade, which would improve the lighting quality significantly for the day, evening and night shift operations, thus satisfying Carlsberg’s demands for a sustainable, efficient, productive logistics centre.

“Now Carlsberg’s warehouses and transit areas are much better lit. The lighting upgrade has resulted in a clearer and more uniform lighting and the poorly lit and even dark spots are a thing from the past. The new lighting ensures higher visibility and can reduce the risk of accidents,” says Michael Hansson.

In total, 600 new LED luminaires are now fitted in the warehouses and outdoor areas.

In the five large warehouses, the conventional luminaires, each fitted with three 58 W T8 fluorescent tubes (4000K), were replaced with Damp Proof 55 W / 4000 K LED luminaires from LEDVANCE. Besides their very good efficiency of 115 lm/W, the luminaires were selected for their high luminous flux of 6400 lumen, their neutral white color temperature of 4000 K and their ability to live up to all internal norms required at Carlsberg Logistic Center. With a lifetime of 50.000 h (L70 / B50) the LED luminaires last about 2.5 times longer than the conventional types.

The conventional lamps burned out frequently in the outdoor and loading ramp areas. This is where powerful metal halide spotlights had to light the driving paths for the trucks when loading and unloading. With the new effective LED lighting upgrade, it will be a very long time between replacements, due to the fact that the new LED Floodlights 200 W have a lifetime that is about 5 times longer. Additionally, employees benefit from the very homogenous and bright light of the new LED Floodlights with a luminous flux of 20,000 lumen. The Floodlights are also used to illuminate the facades of the buildings.

All in all, the lighting has been significantly improved. All the way through, Kvalitek has worked on improving the light system for increased energy savings, a higher quality of illumination and sustainability. These benefits and attributes explain why Kvalitek chose to use LED luminaires from LEDVANCE.

According to Michael Hansson from Kvalitek, there are two main reasons why he chose LEDVANCE as the supplier: “The products are of a very high quality. Not only is the light efficiency high, but the luminaires are also of such a good quality and long-lasting. With a lifetime of up to 50,000 operational hours, which for many means a lifetime of up to 15 years, they normally don’t have to be replaced until the buildings are reconstructed or renovated - not because they break or burn out. That is probably also why LEDVANCE offers a guarantee of up to five years for many of their luminaires.”

He continues: “Furthermore, there is a very short delivery time, often just a few days. The quick delivery time meant in this case that we could see the project through in record time and get it all done before Christmas, which is the absolute busiest time of the year for Carlsberg.“