Modest energy savings can go a long way for a company that operates heavy machinery, which tends to draw large amounts of electricity. When Sustainable Lighting Solutions presented Round Ground Metals with a solution that would save the company more than $60,000 annually, it was just a matter of timing and planning to get the lighting replaced.

Round Ground Metals first began working with Sustainable Lighting Solutions in late 2015. The 28-year-old family-owned company makes “round bars rounder” and has a rich history of delivering a quality product at a fair market price. Like all manufacturers working with steel, market forces can shift spending priorities, even when the value is known and respected.

“It was a major investment,” says Mirek Krynski, Round Ground Metals, Inc. Maintenance Supervisor. The company’s two Hanover Park, IL buildings comprise 130,000 square feet and operate 20 hours a day, typically five days a week.

“And, it was a major project. Given our inventory, machines, and how long our working hours are, we needed to make sure the time was right,” says Krynski.

The company needed a bit of time to plan for the capital expense, logistics, and planning required to execute. Round Ground Metals green-lighted the project a year after first meeting, recognizing that the utility savings combined with the anticipation of better light merited project approval, Krynski says.

“We have a lot of machinery that guzzles up a lot of electricity,” Krynski says. “Changing the lighting would help employees, as well as the bottom line.”

The project would take several weeks to complete, with installation primarily occurring on the weekends. Sustainable Lighting Solutions installed more than 238 fixtures, including LED high bays, LED wallpacks, LED pole fixtures, and motion sensors. Most of the installation occurred within the two buildings, but Sustainable Lighting Solutions also installed exterior fixtures. Of the total project cost of $30,624.06, Sustainable Lighting Solutions secured a ComEd incentive that covered almost 70% of the cost. RGM is forecasted to save more than $62,000 in electricity costs alone.

“Employees come and go early in the morning and late at night, and they really appreciated that we improved the lighting outside,” Krynski says. “The women were especially grateful, because during the winter when it’s really dark and cold they felt safer, and didn’t fear possibly slipping on the ice when they were headed to their cars.”

The lighting even highlighted some of the blemishes that any building experiences when grinding metals, says Krynski, who joked that a few walls needed to be cleaned after the installation. Overall the reaction from employees has been exceptional, he says.

For Krynski, he’s happy that the reduced maintenance required by the new lighting means that his team is not spending a lot of time replacing lights. He estimates that once a month a fixture would be changed out when a transformer or bulb would blow. And given the size of the facility it wasn’t a step ladder kind of job, he says.

“The new lighting is saving maintenance a lot of headaches,” Krynski says, but more important employees can see better and the new lighting has improved morale. “They appreciate the investment.”

Krynski says that other companies bid on the project, but Sustainable Lighting Solutions’ willingness to help people see in order to believe is what set them apart.

“Sustainable Lighting Solutions installed a sample fixture and right away people wanted them. Seeing really is believing and when they hung those fixtures people could see what type of change would happen,” Krynski says.

A combination of energy-efficiency and CapEx rebates helped Charter Steel Trading Company undertake a major project to replace lighting in two of its buildings on Chicago’s West Side.

Sustainable Lighting Solutions (SLS) replaced more than 400 dated fixtures between the two buildings, the result of which will decrease the steel sheeting manufacturer’s annual electricity costs by more than $100,000.

“Between the quality of the light and the incentives, we wondered why we waited so long to take on the project,” says Roger Burhite, Charter Steel Trading Company Facilities Manager. Many companies approached the company over the years with energy-efficiency projects. Charter went forward when a combination of incentives from the city as well as more than $50,000 in incentives from the utility-payer-funded energy-efficiency program covered more than half of the project’s cost.

Charter Steel Trading has been operating on Chicago’s West Side since the late 1970s. Between the 100-year-old warehouse at 1600 S. Kostner and its second building at 4401 W. Roosevelt, Charter Steel Trading Company currently has more than 300,000 square feet where it manufactures steel and aluminum metal sheeting and metal coils.

“The new lighting has made working in both buildings a lot easier and safer,” Burhite says. The old lighting was older, inadequate, and didn’t cover all of the area within the facilities. But the new lighting has been a big improvement. “Everybody here loves the lighting,” Burhite says. “They really appreciate how much brighter it is inside the buildings.”

The two buildings operate from 6 a.m. to midnight, on average five days a week, so its switch to LED in both buildings will decrease its electricity consumption by more than 1.4 million kWh per year.

SLS presented Charter Steel Trading Company with its Environmental Stewardship Award. SLS President Mike Sweitzer says, “Charter Steel Trading has made an energy-conscious decision that has substantially decreased energy consumption. Between both manufacturing buildings, the project will prevent more than 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere and 120,000 gallons of gasoline from being expended.”

Burhite says the changes have been “dramatic” and on some days, it’s like the “sunshine is on the inside of the buildings.”

With a Canadian mandate ending the commercial use of incandescent lighting looming, Lawson Products needed to replace all of the lighting throughout its Mississauga, Ontario distribution center. Sustainable Lighting Solutions provided this distributor of industrial products with the expertise as well as the hard data it needed on costs and projected payback timeline to make the project a go.

CapEx projects are never easy to fund, but this project was the exception, says Russell Mariano, Lawson Products Manager, Facilities and Distribution Logistics. With project numbers that included a $15,600 government rebate and a two-year return on investment from reduced utility and maintenance costs, corporate approval was relatively quick and painless.

“Our confidence in Sustainable Lighting Solutions’ ability, as well as its willingness to forecast payback, and manage the incentive process, all played a large part in why we chose them. And the numbers really helped,” Mariano says.

Traditionally the finance managers are skeptical of CapEx projects because there is so little financial gain, Mariano says. “This is the first time that I can remember a contractor told us how much we would save, and we actually did,” Mariano says. “The forecast helped them win the job. Even the finance people were excited about the project’s payback.”

The Mississauga distribution center includes a 65,000-square-foot warehouse. Originally outfitted with Metal Halide (HID), it required a lot of electricity. Lawson Products wanted better functionality and efficiency in the new lighting solution, but most of all wanted the right configuration for its operations.

“The employees there do a lot of inventory tracking and racking of product,” Mariano says. “We wanted the best light possible for them. We didn’t want them squinting to look at their inventory guns or straining their eyes to see product.”

The 400 watt lights in the warehouse were replaced with T5s, as well as occupancy sensors that increased efficiency. The warehouse operates in cycles with product distribution, receiving, and replenishment.

“The sensors have definitely helped,” Mariano says. “We are seeing roughly $700 to $800 a month in savings. We expect to see the project pay itself back in less than two years.”

Mariano describes the difference as “like night and day”.

“Overall it was a great project and investment by Lawson, but more importantly the staff appreciated it, and they are more productive because of the better lighting,” he says.

While the project and the product were well received, Mariano said that SLS really went above and beyond managing the incentives as well as getting product back and forth between the countries.

“SLS was always on top of the project. They are very attentive and responsive,” says Mariano. “Even though they were working across the border, we had no issues. They did a great job.”

When your manufacturing facility is running 24 hours a day, five days a week, lighting is a huge concern. So when it was time for Dixline Corp. to light the $3 million expansion at its Central Illinois manufacturing plant, it chose a reliable partner: Sustainable Lighting Solutions.

“We worked with SLS on our warehouse expansion and the experience was tremendous,” says David Thomson, Dixline President and CEO. The family-owned company expanded its facility’s footprint in Galva, IL by 27,500 square feet. Dixline chose LEDs for the new lighting because of their lifespan, the lower cost to operate and maintain them, and the quality of the light. “The employees loved the new light, the installation was perfect, and the controls were flawless,” Thomson says.

Dixline Corporation is an ISO 9001-certified metal fabrication and decorative finishing company serving the U.S. and international markets. Dixline’s primary business is centered around the production and finishing of decorative and functional hardware for use on burial caskets, windows and doors, and hand tools. Dixline also applies proprietary specialty coatings used in the electronics and aerospace industries.

Shortly after the expansion project, Dixline chose to replace dated and inefficient lighting in a manufacturing area where the lights run 24 hours a day, five days a week. Light loss for an extended period of time was a safety and production concern.

Dixline worked with a different lighting partner for that job, and Thomson says, “We would not do that again.” Among other concerns, the vendor installed a faulty product. “Immediately the new lights that were supposed to last 20 to 30 years started burning out. It was truly disappointing. Incandescent lights don’t even burn out that quickly. We went back to SLS.”

The Dixline manufacturing area is lit 24 hours a day, five days a week. The warehouse area lighting runs 16 to 20 hours a day, five days a week. Over the course of both projects, SLS installed sensors in every area, including corridors and administrative offices, to maximize energy savings.

“I learned a lot about LED modules because of the experience,” Thomson says. “It’s like buying steak or seafood – you spend a little more for the best.” SLS replaced the faulty lights with Orion fixtures, manufactured by the Wisconsin-based company.

SLS researched available incentives, and discovered that this project qualified for energy-efficiency rebates from Ameren. SLS managed the application and rebate paperwork, netting Dixline a nearly $2,000 rebate.

“The light is really bright and clear,” Thomson said. “It’s better and safer, and facility improvements, like these, go a long way to improve morale.

“SLS was always on top of the project. We chose SLS without hesitation the second time.”

When it came time for Midco International to upgrade its lighting, it was hoping to secure some energy efficiency incentives to help fund the project. What looked at first to be a straightforward replacement of an array of newer and old fixtures became a project that not only netted Midco tens of thousands of dollars in incentives and lower utility bills, it delivered a significantly better working environment with modern LED technology.

Midco International Inc. is a world leader in power burners with rich history of innovative designs and a strong commitment to customer service. Midco initially expected to upgrade and replace its Chicago manufacturing facility’s mixed-bag of light fixtures, uniformity was lacking, and the fixtures were tough to clean and maintain.

“Most of our lighting was really outdated – our stockroom was like walking into a dungeon,” says Carly Stanger, Vice President of Human Resources, Midco International.

Sustainable Lighting Solutions (SLS) President Mike Sweitzer notes that the company needed the correct solution. The “mixed bag” of lighting included newer T5 and T8 fluorescent with old metal halide which together resulted in a combination of too much or too little light. In some places, lighting – well purposed for a warehouse setting with 50-foot ceilings – had been installed into Midco’s facility with 16-foot ceilings.

Midco called SLS for a quote on updating to more modern fluorescents, only to learn that SLS had an even better option in mind to help the company:

• Earn incentives to help fund the project,
• Save tens of thousands of dollars annually on ongoing energy and maintenance costs, and
• Deliver superior lighting that was correct for the facility.

Sweitzer notes that today’s commercial LEDs are not like yesterday’s under-the-kitchen-cabinet lighting. The color is correct, and when expertly installed their span and cover is noticeably better than fluorescents. They are easy to install and clean, making them ideal for food grade and manufacturing facilities. But not everyone has experienced modern LED technology.

“We weren’t convinced that the quality and the color of light were right for us,” says Stanger. “SLS offered to run a test for us.” SLS installed four fixtures so Midco could see how the light worked in its space. “We were all pretty astonished at how good they looked,” adds Stanger.

Midco machine operators immediately commented on the quality of the light, noting that it was brighter and they could see better. “Once the test lights were installed we had buy-in from our employees,” says Stanger. “We were excited to learn about the lower energy and operating costs. We don’t have to re-bulb all the time and it is so easy to clean the fixtures. That was a bonus that saved a lot of maintenance time and money.”

SLS also installed sensor technology to reduce energy even further by dimming lights in unused areas. The LED upgrade enabled Midco to qualify for substantial energy efficient rebates from ComEd as well as City of Chicago grants, which together totaled more than $60,000. SLS estimates that its lighting and energy solution will save Midco more than $20K annually, slashing its lighting costs by two-thirds.

While SLS understands that the easiest path is to bid exactly what a customer requests, Sweitzer says it is important to use lighting and energy expertise to offer customers the ‘best’ solution.

“With every project we want our customers to save money, but more than anything we want to deliver better light,” Sweitzer says. “When you recommend the best product for each project it requires taking the right steps to help the customer understand why it’s the right solution.”

Stanger said the approach worked. SLS’s willingness to install test lights showed Midco the benefits of an alternative solution and helped it win the job.

“SLS did its homework,” Stanger says. “Choosing SLS was the right thing to do. They were really responsive and everyone was very professional and a pleasure to work with.”

The lighting at Concentric AB’s manufacturing facility in Rockford, IL was similar to many other large spaces – either too bright or too dark, and certainly too expensive to power and maintain. Switching to a LED solution from SLS not only improved employees’ work environment, it saved the company close to $9k per month in energy and maintenance costs.

Concentric AB is one of the world’s leading pump manufacturers. Its Rockford, IL facility manufactures an array of hydraulic pumps and motors. The 20-acre campus, including the 125,000 square foot hydraulic plant, was built in 1964 and was undergoing a facelift. Manufacturing Engineer and Facility Manager Martin Moesgaard explained that most of the lighting was fluorescent and dated. Employees disliked it so much they often unscrewed the bulbs near their work spaces due to the glare on their computer screens.

“I called Sustainable Lighting Solutions to look into switching our fluorescent lighting over to LED,” Moesgaard says. SLS developed a plan that included sensors to save additional energy costs, and offered to install pilot light fixtures for the company to review before signing off on the full project. Once the new lighting was in place, employees responded immediately.

“Over the years, people just unscrewed the fluorescents. They didn’t like the glare on their computers. When the new lights were piloted, the engineers responded positively to the new fixtures and the even distribution of the light. They were asking to have the project done quickly” Moesgaard said.

Concentric employs 177 people at its Rockford campus, where the manufacturing plant runs in three shifts. Moesgaard was concerned about finding an optimal time for the installation, without causing disruption to operations, as well as how the new fixtures would fit into the building’s 1964 drop-down ceiling architecture.

“Overall the installation went smooth. They were always on top of the communication, and they were very flexible in working around our schedule,” Moesgaard says. “SLS came in on the second shift. They also installed some new parts within drop ceilings to make the retrofit easier and aesthetically appear more pleasing.”

One of the most pleasant surprises of the project, Moesgaard says, was learning about the significant rebates that SLS could secure to fund part of the project. All businesses and consumers pay into the state’s energy efficiency program fund every month, which funds ComEd’s Smart Ideas program. Moesgaard had previously completed the Smart Ideas application for an air compressor rebate, and found the process time consuming. He was pleased that SLS handled all of the paperwork for the rebate, which came to $73,000.

“SLS managing that process was a big plus,” Moesgaard said. “And I really liked knowing that I was getting my money back from that fund, for the benefit of my company.”

Currently, Concentric is on track to save on average 750 kilowatt hours annually, which accounts for 1/8 of its energy consumption.

“Overall, we have been very pleased,” says Moesgaard. “People say their eyes aren’t as tired or strained as before, and I’m happy that we’re getting some of our money back!”