New LED lighting in record time for bottling plant

SPIE and Veko replace lighting in six massive halls during maintenance shutdow

Instead of 5 to 6 weeks, SPIE was given just 1 week to replace the lighting in Avandis’ production halls and warehouses in Zoetermeer with LED lighting. This change should deliver huge savings on energy consumption and maintenance for the production site.

Fact sheet

  • Services: M&E
  • Subsidiary: SPIE Nederland
  • Year: 2019
  • Tags: Energy efficiency
  • Status: Completed

Avandis is a prominent company that develops and produces drinks, and which has Europe’s most modern bottling plant with advanced filling lines at its disposal. Around 32 million packagings with premium alcoholic drinks are filled each year in Zoetermeer. Everything conforms to the BRC-AA standard: the food industry’s most demanding quality requirements. “This quality certification is essential for us to be able to deliver to our premium clients,” explains Edward Peereboom, Technical & Project Manager at Avandis.

SPIE has been looking after various aspects of Technical Management at Avandis for quite a while now, and is well acquainted with the existing buildings and installations. In addition, SPIE is familiar with the demands of Avandis, meeting the highest quality standards when it comes to food safety. Edward had recently given SPIE the job of installing the fire alarm, emergency alert and public announcement systems and was therefore familiar with SPIE’s know-how and skills, as demonstrated by head technician, Vincent Post. He involved them in the deliberations about the new lighting, something Veko had previously proposed in 2015. At that time, only one production line could be equipped with a new lighting line, a system into which the light fittings could be clicked. Since lamps were regularly failing, the old fittings were peeling and the light was deteriorating, Edward had to make a business case for a new lighting system.

The business case revealed that the investment would be recouped in five years if Veko systems and SPIE installation and maintenance were selected. The management approved this, and on the afternoon of Friday, 4 May, six aerial platforms rode onto the Avandis site. It was the last day of production before the maintenance shutdown the following week: the only chance to implement the lighting project. In the production hall, only the interior of the lighting lines was replaced; in the warehouses some new lines were installed. In total, it involved more than 900 metres of lighting lines and more than 600 fittings. Vincent: “LED lamps are preprogrammed and we had installed the necessary equipment in advance. The Veko technicians immediately began to empty the lines. As one emptied the line, their successor followed to install the new fittings. This ran like a professional train through the factories.” Edward endorses this: “In the factory, there are many awkward spots between the production lines. I also noticed that we were pretty demanding as a client. We started each day with a toolbox meeting with the focus on safety. What are the risks, how do we deal with them, and what can we learn from the previous day?” Six halls – production, warehousing and transport – were dealt with one by one. On Saturday, the bottling plant was finished, and on Wednesday afternoon, the rest. Finishing off the remaining points took a little longer than planned, but when the lines were started up again after the Ascension Day break, everything was hanging where it should.

Edward: “The staff are happy with it: it really is an improvement. We’re still working on some unforeseen consequences of the LED lighting. Unfortunately, at one control box, there’s a shadow cast by a gangway, which means that operators can’t view their computer screen.” “That’s another lesson for us,” claims Ronald Dercksen, SPIE Account Manager. It’s particularly important how this kind of thing is dealt with. Both parties are enthusiastic about the communication. “We’ve been communicating very openly with each other, even when things have not been going as smoothly as we had hoped. It’s great for me to then be kept informed and to be involved in solving the problem.” “And it’s especially good that Edward wants to be involved and is open and honest. The lines are short and we know what we can expect of each other,” Ronald explains.

Edward: “SPIE’s added value lies in their knowledge of our installations. We’re looking for a firm which supports us in this, making the maintenance and its optimisation easier for us. SPIE seems to be a suitable partner for this.” In this he gives Vincent a prominent place as the person who knows his way around, is familiar with the installations and is flexible. The relationship that has evolved works well for both parties. He praises the attitude of Project Manager Gijs van Oevelen, finding in him a capable manager and communicator. “He does what I expect of a project manager, and that’s great.”

With the anticipated 25% expansion of production this year, it’s good to have the production processes set up effectively. Ronald, who himself works for the E-fficient Buildings market sector, has therefore already introduced Edward to his colleagues in the Industry Services sector. “SPIE offers a broad range of services and the customer must be able to profit from this. We are One SPIE.” Edward sees a future with SPIE: “It is a party with the expertise we’re looking for to optimise our production and to innovate. We must be able to focus on our core business.”