Kronospan – Smart LED lighting

Kronospan puts all its energy into saving €1.7 million with smart LED lighting

Kronospan, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-quality woodbased panels and products, had a mission: to reduce energy consumption at one of its key production sites. To this end, they decided to explore the possibilities of Interact Pro.

"We are very pleased to have been able to do this with very little effort. In the end, it’s not just Kronospan that profits from this initiative, it’s our employees —and the environment.”

- Tino Hesse, Managing Director at Kronospan

The challenge

With the European economy facing major challenges due to rising energy prices, Kronospan was keen to find a more efficient form of lighting for its production site at Lampertswalde in Saxony, Germany. Their target was to limit projected electricity costs to €2.8 million over the next ten years. But to avoid expensive production downtime, and keep investment costs to a moderate level, the new lighting solution had to integrate seamlessly into the facility’s existing infrastructure.

The solution

The experts at Signify chose the perfect blend of energy-efficient luminaires and intelligent lighting controls. Approximately 1,100 highbay downlights at the facility were replaced with Philips GentleSpace LED highbay luminaires, each equipped with its own sensor. In the office areas, 230 CoreLine recessed panel luminaires were installed to provide energy-efficient, uniform lighting. This smart combination is designed to reduce electricity consumption by 75%, a solution that could save Kronospan €1.72 m and 9,850 tons of CO₂ over the next 10 years.

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Smart sensors

The system uses real-time sensor data to adapt the intensity of the illumination to changing circumstances. If the sun shines through the skylights, the lighting will dim automatically. When an employee enters an area, the brightness will increase until a predefined time after they leave, when the lights will dim or switch off. In these ways, the facility never wastes energy on unnecessary lighting.

Flexible lighting zones

On the factory floor, each stage in Kronospan’s production process demands different lighting requirements. To ensure these are met, the lighting system is divided into 122 discrete zones and groups. Each zone can be controlled independently, allowing Kronospan to optimize the lighting for each specific activity and ensure compliance with all relevant lighting standards.

Fingertip control

The lighting at Lamperswalde is controlled by a smartphone or tablet running the intuitive Interact dashboard. With just a few clicks, managers can control the lighting in their own areas, creating the perfect illumination conditions and optimizing visibility for staff.

Quick installation

Kronospan’s smart lighting solution was commissioned in a single working day. In addition to the 122 lighting zones, Signify experts created 34 networks which serve as the infrastructure that supports connectivity between the luminaires and the Interact lighting management software and platform.

Project details

1,100 Philips GentleSpace LED highbay luminaires replaced highbay spotlights using gas discharge lamps
Each luminaire has a sensor for daylight harvesting and presence detection
230 CoreLine recessed panel luminaires installed in office areas
72% reduction in lighting energy consumption and emissions
€1.72 m savings in energy costs for lighting over 10 years