What connected lighting can do for industrial facilities

It’s no secret that the manufacturing industry has a heavy responsibility for emissions of greenhouse gases.  In the US, manufacturing accounts for almost a quarter (23%) of direct carbon emissions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. In Europe the situation is equally dire: the industry emits an annual total of 880 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents, making it one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases on the continent. Big changes need to be made across every aspect of manufacturing facilities to make the industry sustainable and future-proof growth.

But it's not that simple. The industrial sector faces several challenges: the increasing pressures from ecommerce to produce at speed, the need to stock strategically, the importance of picking accuracy at warehouses, and so on. Broader issues like energy conservation and sustainable operations are also adding pressure on the sector. Gladly, there are (quick) solutions, like connected lighting, that support the digital transformation of any facility.

Warehouses, distribution centres, and manufacturing facilities are all tough environments with specific design needs. These include:

• Consistent illumination to ensure smooth operations

Industrial environments present unique lighting challenges, from maintaining consistent illumination across varying mounting heights to providing reliable light levels during long operating hours or to support specific tasks. Research shows that poor lighting can reduce task speed and output quality, while also contributing to unplanned maintenance and costly downtime.

• Enhancing productivity

In an environment where physical work and attention to detail are important, staff fatigue can negatively affect worker accuracy and ultimately reduce productivity. Any space needs to be designed to ensure a safe and productive working environment. Time lost to workplace accidents directly affects productivity and morale across the whole team.

• Delivering the light needed in vital spaces

Manufacturing across the board is becoming increasingly automated. While the range of machinery increases and the technology grows in sophistication, tasks remain the same: people are still required to check, monitor, adjust, maintain, repair, and programme equipment and controls on an ongoing basis. 

• Energy efficiency


Industries and factories are known for their substantial energy consumption. 24% of global energy consumption comes from the industrial sector and 5%-20% of annual productivity is lost in the average manufacturing plant due to unplanned downtimes. Also, traditional lighting systems are often inefficient and costly to operate. These should be reviewed, and goals set to reduce waste and improve efficiency.

In the ever-evolving landscape of industrial and factory environments, the role of lighting extends far beyond illumination. Connected lighting solutions like Signify Interact have emerged as a transformative force, offering unprecedented control, efficiency, and sustainability advantages for industries. As industries worldwide strive to optimise operations, reduce energy consumption, enhance workplace safety, and deliver on their digitalisation and decarbonisation strategies, integrating connected lighting has become a strategic imperative.

The right kind of lighting has shown to have a positive impact on production efficiency and quality, employee safety and wellbeing, and a facility’s sustainability and cost efficiency.

Significant energy, carbon, cost, and light quality improvements can be made by simply swapping out inefficient legacy lighting for new efficient LED lighting. LED lighting can be up to 80% more efficient and can last longer than conventional lighting, resulting not only in significant energy and cost savings, but also in reduced maintenance costs, which can be very expensive in industrial facilities with high ceilings.

Taking it a step further, connected LED lighting can play a significant role in enabling a manufacturing facility or a warehouse to become even more digital and sustainable whilst providing a safer, healthier, and more productive place to work. Connected systems, energy-efficient LED luminaires, sensors, and comprehensive wireless system monitoring and management software create an intelligent network. These connected systems enable businesses and building owners to gather valuable data and insights from the facility. This data can then be used to unlock additional value adds, features and benefits