Lighting manufacturer BEKA Schréder carries out a full evaluation of a site, including lighting audits and design, to ensure that the lighting effectively performs according to the necessary standards of the application. The visual tasks in various manufacturing and processing industries are very important, therefore, the lighting has to comply to the correct standard to ensure not only the safety of employees, but also the environment.

“For all indoor and outdoor applications, the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) has put South African National Standards (SANS) documents in place to ensure that all required lighting levels are adhered to in warehousing applications,” says BEKA Schréder marketing and segment development manager Grant Combrink.

The SABS provides a range of standards – including interior lighting (SANS 10114-1), exterior lighting (SANS 10389-1) and street lighting (SANS 10098-1) – covering light-level requirements for every application.

Combrink states that, through lighting simulations provided by software systems, such as AGi32, Relux and Dialux, lighting designers can simulate the correct luminaires required for a specific application. Consequently, the correct luminaire with the correct lighting levels can be selected for the application.

The correct lighting characteristics within a luminaire for an application vary in terms of wattage, lumen output and optics: “For example, one cannot halve the wattage of a lighting solution to enhance energy saving without taking the light levels into account. “Lighting levels will be negatively impacted and will, in turn, affect productivity and employees’ ability to carry out visual tasks,” he explains.

Further, different manufacturing and processing industries require different safety standards and requirements.

“In the food and beverage industry, the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point food safety standard needs to be strictly adhered to in some countries. This ensures that all installed luminaires are correctly protected, and a declaration of conformity confirms and emphasises that no glass components are used in the luminaires installed in critical areas of food production.”

Combrink concludes that, through its consultative approach , BEKA Schréder can provide lighting solutions for all manufacturing and processing environments, consequently enabling clients to find the best and most feasible solution.