Download the case study from Merck’s EMD Millipore Division to learn how a plan to upgrade to energy efficient lighting replaced the “fixture-by-fixture” maintenance approach of the past.
The Eco Engineering Approach
For the manufacturers of Pharmaceutical and Medical Products nothing is more important than the safety associated with the environment where the products are made and packaged. The cleanliness of these facilities, the constant monitoring of air quality, temperature and the numerous regulations imposed by the FDA all lead to an extremely sensitive work environment. The industry is often characterized by facilities built and/or acquired at different time intervals with vastly different lighting systems in place. The programmatic approach put forth by Eco Engineering results in maximum energy efficiency across a prioritized portfolio of square footage with standardized technologies for centralized maintenance processes and reduced procurement expenses. Yet, the lighting upgrade installation and disposal must be completed in a manner that insures all safety, quality and regulatory issues meet or exceed industry standards at each individual location.
The multi-site, total program effort can be achieved with or without upfront capital investment by a Pharmaceutical or Medical Products company. By approaching the energy efficiency issues centrally the company can remove most of the pain and anguish of a total lighting upgrade from the local facility manager (who has better things to do and more to worry about than lights which already work). With the oversight of a centralized facility/energy management function, the Pharmaceutical firm can achieve significant operating cost reduction goals and high profile sustainability objectives.
Eco Engineering knows the Pharmaceutical and Medical Products sector. Our lighting design, engineering and implementation experience in this market have yielded some significant learning’s:
• Examine the outdoor areas surrounding the offices, plants and distribution centers associated with the Pharmaceutical or Medical Products industry. Increased energy savings are very real with some of the newer LED pole top technologies and improved safety, visibility is always important to employees. Longer lasting exterior lighting also means a significant reduction in hassles and expenses for the maintenance crew.
• Don’t forget the regulators! Whenever you are working inside a facility that does manufacturing or packaging of Pharmaceutical or Medical Products, you must meet the strictest FDA standards for safety, quality and cleanliness. Eco Engineering understands these standards and the severe implications arising from a sloppy lighting install that left something in the facility that clearly did not belong there.
• Don’t forget disposal! Old lighting technology removed from the facilities may contain a variety of contaminants that don’t belong anywhere near a Pharmaceutical or Medical Products facility. All such materials need to be carefully handled and disposed of in a manner compliant with EPA guidelines.
Utility incentives and rebates can drastically improve the ROI and shorten the payback period on any investment made in an energy efficient lighting program. Let an expert like Eco Engineering guide you through the incentives requirements, the qualifying technologies and the actual administrative tasks of filing for su