MHA Lighting's LED products help Hollywood 'gunge' manufacturer Vickers Labs reduce lighting energy consumption by 73%

Jan. 7, 2015
A LEADING manufacturer of bespoke special effects for blockbuster films has reduced its lighting energy consumption by 73% thanks to a new LED solution from MHA Lighting.

Vickers Laboratories Ltd is a chemical manufacturing facility that can name world-renowned film, TV and theatre production companies as some of its clients. Within its laboratories the company created the world-famous chocolate river in Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory starring Johnny Depp, and the “ewe’s milk bath” for Charlize Theron to emerge from as the Evil Queen in 2012’s Snow White and the Huntsman.

The Leeds based chemical manufacturer has also provided various forms of goo and gunge for films and TV series’ such as Clash of the Titans, Sweeny Todd, Emmerdale and Doctor Who, creating a plethora of potions for scenes that require realistic special effects - from alien blood to liquid gold.

Vickers Laboratories Ltd also produces the monomer used in the manufacturing process of the latest generation of Silicone-hydrogel contact lenses, sold under the OPTOMER® brand.

Due to increasing demands for their cutting edge products, lab bosses needed to increase their capacity by designing a purpose-built manufacturing facility adjacent to the existing site. High quality light uniformity and high colour rendering was a key consideration in the design of the new lab to ensure that staff at Vickers Laboratories Ltd could create their products and carry out true colour inspection within a well-lit environment.

MHA Lighting installed its LightStar202 LED luminaires in the brand new laboratory, reducing overall lighting energy consumption in the area, providing a lifetime saving of £8,333 and a 22Tonne reduction in Co2. At the same time Lux levels in the lab were improved, with the LightStar product delivering 500 lux to the equipment and work spaces.

MHA Lighting MD Tom Harrison said: “Our new LightStar luminaire is one of the most ruthlessly efficient products on the market. We believe it is unrivalled in light quality and distribution and energy efficiency. It is also incredibly versatile – allowing the client to select from a range of wattages (15 to 121w) to deliver between 100 to 123 lumens per circuit watt and providing a total lumen output of between 1845 and 12100. Combining this high performance with un-rivalled light distribution from the luminaire enables us to install fewer fittings too, creating a multiplier effect in terms of energy savings and payback periods for clients like Vickers Laboratories Ltd. We are delighted that this has been such a successful project. It has been a pleasure to work alongside the Vickers team in devising a ‘made-to-measure’ lighting scheme for their brand new laboratory.”

The LightStar 202 (Diffused) specified at Vickers Laboratories is just 43w (inclusive of ballast). The light engine can also be driven at a range of wattages to increase or decrease light levels. MHA’s sealed LED lighting units have been designed to stop dust and insects from gathering around warm light fittings, ensuring the laboratory area is kept as clean as possible - an essential requirement for the production of materials for medical devices like contact lenses. The fitting’s 66,000 hour minimum life span means that there is no need for regular maintenance and bulb replacement, which again stops dust from being distributed into the atmosphere. The lifespan can further be increased to a minimum of 109,000 hours if the driver is replaced at 66,000 hour point.

In addition, MHA’s installation included two occupancy sensors, further maximising on lighting energy costs when members of staff are not working within the lab.

Steve Foster, Vickers Laboratories Ltd’s Managing Director, said that switching to LED lighting was part of the forward-thinking company’s strategy to improve light levels in their labs whilst ultimately reducing associated energy costs and Co2. Steve added: “Vickers Laboratories Ltd manufactures production chemicals for some of the biggest pharmaceutical and contact lens companies in the world, so quality assurance is absolutely essential. Complicated chemical processes are required to take place to create these products and so it is imperative that light quality and light uniformity is at the highest standard possible for our precision working. We knew that we needed to source lighting that would not only cut our lighting costs, provide a short payback period and offer long-term energy savings but also wasn’t over-the-top on capital cost. MHA handled the proposal and installation process with great detail and efficiency. We are delighted with the results.”

About MHA Lighting:
MHA Lighting is an award-winning lighting manufacturer based in Greater Manchester. MHA Lighting is the only LED manufacturer to shine light sideways into encapsulation avoiding direct contact with the eye and providing a safe and efficient light output. They also use acrylic rods to amplify and control the light output, reducing the number of LEDs required.

This means they can use high power LEDs, draw less current and have no need to diffuse the output. Their patented lighting technology uses two-thirds of the energy of other LED competitors.

Since late 2010 MHA has built a portfolio of Blue Chip commercial clients and public sector organisations, including: The Trafford Centre, GlaxoSmithKline, Scott Safety (A Tyco company), the NHS, Birmingham NEC, Greater Manchester Police, Manchester Airport Group, Newcastle Airport, Birmingham International Airport, Budgens, SPAR, Londis, various Local Authorities, Reckitt Benckiser and Chevron-Texaco.

About Vickers Laboratories Ltd:
Vickers Laboratories was established by the Vickers family in 1969 as a manufacturer of chemicals. Originally based in Burley in Wharfedale then moving in 1995 to a purpose built site with manufacturing facilities and offices in Leeds, (Pudsey).

As the business grew, it developed from being a purely chemical manufacturing company into a chemical, packing and logistics company. The key skills being in the procurement of raw materials, their safe and efficient repacking or dissolution in water and subsequent storage and distribution. All these activities were underpinned by skilled staff with a detailed knowledge of the complex regulatory requirements of handling chemicals.

Contact:

MHA Lighting Ltd
Tel: +44 (0)1942 887 400

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