Race engine manufacturer installs LED lighting in California shop

Oct. 7, 2014
Ed Pink Racing Engines has supplied winning technology to most major auto racing series and going forward the shop's work will take place under brighter, more-uniform SSL products from LEDtronics.

Ed Pink Racing Engines has supplied winning technology to most major auto racing series and going forward the shop's work will take place under brighter, more-uniform SSL products from LEDtronics.

LEDtronics has announced an LED-based high-bay lighting project at the Ed Pink Racing Engines shop in Van Nuys, CA. RTM Lighting & Electronics handled the installation that is generating brighter light levels for employees while reducing energy usage by 70%.

The race shop is renowned in US motorsports having built engines that one races in top series including NASCAR, IndyCar, and top-level dragsters. The engine shop has worked with racing teams from Ford, Pontiac, and Toyota and supported superstar drivers including Tony Stewart and Don Prudhomme. But the shop's former lighting was hampering the precise work of the staff and wasting significant energy leading to a major retrofit. "The lighting is much better for our unique work environment,” says general manager Frank Honsowetz, former director of racing for Nissan North America who joined Ed Pink in 2001, about the upgrade.

The facility consists of two buildings totaling 12,000 ft2. Previously, a mix of T8 and T12 fluorescent fixtures lit the facility where engines are rebuilt, built, tested, and designed for an international customer base. The upgrade allowed the shop to use fewer HBL003-200W-XPW-101WD LED high-bay luminaires from LEDtronics. "Using a total of only 2600W, the LED lights saved the company 5730W," said Mark Jarel, LEDtronics street & outdoor lighting product sales manager.

"We are saving about $900 a month from the conversion to LED lighting," said Pink Racing's Honsowetz. "At this rate, we will pay for the conversion in about 13 months."

Still, Honsowetz noted other benefits of the upgrade beyond the energy savings and lighting quality. "At our location here in Van Nuys we do experience outside temperatures over 100 degrees," said Honsowetz. "With LED lighting, the interior temperature on hot days is easier to control."

The Pink Racing upgrade is not the first automotive shop we have seen retrofitted with LEDs. For example, the Richard Petty garage in North Carolina was upgraded to 90-CRI Cree LED fixtures last year. Clearly, SSL is a good match for the demanding job of manufacturing and assembling precise mechanical components.

LEDtronics, meanwhile, has been well known for a number of high-profile projects. For instance, the company retrofitted the iconic Santa Monica Pier with LED-based lighting. The company was also behind a project at the historic Pasadena Central Library.