IIoT Lighting for Commercial and Industrial Businesses

While most consumers remain focused on the IoT (Internet of Things), the IIOT (Industrial Internet of Things) continues to grow in the background. With recent developments in the digital, networking, and processing circles, the dream to have smart commercial facilities is now realizable. Intelligent lighting has emerged as the unsung hero of IIOT. Through integrated lighting systems through a network and sensors, smart lighting is quickly earning its preserve in commercial spaces.

IIOT lighting systems are proving a must-have for commercial and industrial spaces for a variety of reasons:

Benefits of IIOT Lighting

Using IIOT lighting, businesses are not only able to control lighting, but the system installed can also provide detailed energy-consumption reports. The reports are essential for companies looking to cut costs by saving energy.

By integrating sensors, the lighting system can detect occupancy and turn on the lights then turn them off when they are not in use. This is a critical measure that can save the business money in energy consumption and minimize running costs.

IIOT lighting also allows you to control the lighting in the entire facility from the palm of your hand. As a facility manager, you can manage all aspects of lighting inside the building using a laptop from across the world.

Using the dashboard connected to the primary device, you can also identify inefficiencies and anomalies in the facility that can help you improve business operations and productivity of employees.

Downsides of IIOT Lighting

There are downsides to everything – even with this revolutionary technology. Weighing both sides of the coin is essential in helping you make an informed decision.

The initial cost of setting up is the most intimidating factor for most facility managers. Even though the cost of setting up the lighting and networking might be significant, maintenance costs are minimal.

Once installed, smart lighting provides an immediate and quantifiable return with documented reports and improved energy consumption. Cumulatively, these savings justify the cost of transitioning into intelligent lighting for the facility and even earn the facility profits.

The Takeaway

The future of intelligent lighting is bright! At the moment, the main goal is to help to run a more energy-efficient facility and save costs. In the future, the technology could be used to raise security alerts, monitor productivity in the workplace, and even keep inventory fresh!

How to Use Lights to Encourage Social Distancing

One of the challenges that facilities face during the COVID-19 pandemic is how to monitor the health and safety of their employees. One of the biggest prevention measures for combating COVID-19 is the act of social distancing and wearing proper protective equipment. An advanced network lighting control system can help you control and monitor social distancing for your employees. This can be done by using a variety of methods from setting up lighting schedules for specific zones to monitoring auxiliary spaces.

Encouraging social distancing

People generally want to do the right thing when it comes to social distancing but they also need a little guidance on how best to accomplish that. By using what you have on hand you can set guidelines and boundaries for employees to clearly follow. For example, you can set the lights in a pattern that sets employees apart. This way they know that as long as they’re in a lighted area, they are practicing proper social distancing.

This may also mean switching things around on the warehouse floor to accommodate but your employee’s health and wellness during these times are worth it.

Controls for Safety

Task Tuning – With the proper lighting system the ability to customize and manage precise lighting parameters on individual fixtures, or override entire groups quickly and easily through the mobile and web applications. The ability to set up schedules and zones can be used to identify areas that may be restricted during certain times throughout the day.

Event-Based Alerts – Configure value-based thresholds for any single variable (such as temperature, relative humidity, etc.), and receive alerts via email, push notification, or SMS. The potential to monitor temperatures throughout facility can be a valuable asset to maintain a safe environment.

Monitor Auxiliary Spaces – Gain insight into intervening spaces or unmonitored auxiliary areas to proactively identify high traffic areas. Keeping a close eye on where employees gather is vital in determining the appropriate processes to encourage social distancing.

Protect Product Quality – Monitor critical production or storage areas to ensure that optimal and/or required environmental conditions are met and maintained, and product quality isn’t compromised. During these times promoting safety and quality is more important than ever, having sensor based controls can enhance current processes and help to determine necessary improvements.

Conclusion

COVID-19 is forcing a lot of people to think outside the box when it comes to preventing the spread of the virus. The best thing to do is to encourage social distancing with what you have on hand. Using your localized lighting management system can be a great way to accomplish this. If you need more information or need a light system that accomplishes this task, then check us out here to get the process started.

How Advanced Network Lighting Controls Can Benefit Your Facility

Are you an office manager, or do you manage a warehouse or factory? If you do, then you know how good lighting is critical for productivity and keeping people safe.  More and more office, warehouse and factory managers are discovering the benefits of using advanced network lighting controls for their facilities. Here’s what you need to know about advanced network lighting controls and how it can help your facility. 

What Are Network Lighting Controls? 

Maybe you’ve heard of the term “network lighting controls” but aren’t quite sure what it means. Simply put, network lighting controls (NLC), allows a cloud-based software to maximize energy savings, improve productivity,
and maintain safe, comfortable light levels.means the ability to set lighting schedules throughout a facility at each lighting fixture rather than for an entire lighting circuit.

Basic Benefits of NLC Over Basic Lighting Controls

This lighting system is advanced or better than basic lighting controls for several reasons. For example:

  • Fixture integrated sensors that permit lighting control at each individual fixture instead of using an entire light circuit allowing for a more granular control.
  • It uses networked systems, allowing the ability to be controlled from any device.
  • Wireless technology makes the lighting system easy to install as well as reconfigure.
  • Each of the fixtures can be set, independently, for dimming and illumination.
  • By dimming or even eliminating unused lighting, your facility uses less energy, so you save money.
  • Daylight harvesting allows the lighting to adjust automatically to stay at a target level as a response to natural light levels.
  • Ability to expand to sensors to monitor non-lighting items, such as humidity, temperature, space optimization, power metering and much more.
  • It provides lighting that’s more attuned to workers within a space. As a result, employees are more likely to do a better job and produce more.

The Bottom Line:

By using advanced Network Lighting Controls, you can save time, be more productive and efficient, and save money. If you’re thinking about a lighting upgrade, contact us for a no-cost lighting anaylsis.