Reliability in the long-term

Quality and sustainability are part of AB Agri’s core values. Management wanted to see these values reflected in the extension of its offices in Peterborough. ETAP was responsible for the general and emergency lighting. In fact, the lighting installation excels, sure enough, in quality and sustainability.

AB Agri started out in 1985 as a modest sugar pulp-based animal feed producer. Thirty years on, and the company is a global player in the animal nutrition market, operating in 70 countries and with more than 3,000 employees worldwide. Due to speedy growth , it needed to expand its Peterborough offices (150 km north of London).
In practical terms, the extension involved doubling the office space. Like the current offices, the renova ted building features large, open spaces with plenty of daylight. The main consultant, Cunnington Clark contacted the ETAP office in the UK for its lighting, as in keeping with the client's sustainability values the lighting would need to compliment this.

Proof, yes please
From the extensive range of office luminaires with LEDs, AB Agri eventually opted for U7 recessed luminaires. The performance of the LEDs, excellent light treatment thanks to patented lenses and characteristic design of the LED+LENS™ family were the deciding factor. Project leader Simon Laws said: “It was important to AB Agri that we could back all our luminaires’ specifications with figures. The fact that we not only produce and sell luminaires, but also provide lighting studies and think along with the customer, was a big plus in this context.”

Reliability in the long-term 
With a specific luminous flux of 130 lm/W and a high maintenance factor (97% LLMF after 50,000 burning hours), the U7 is one of the most efficient LED luminaires on the market. This is not only based on theoretical calculations. Since 2012, Laborelec, an independent measuring lab, has been testing the aging of various LED luminaires for offices. After 12,000 hours (accelerated aging), the U7, contrary to its competition, still retains the same luminous flux as in the beginning of the test. This reliability in the long-term was perhaps the most important argument for AB Agri to go with ETAP.
In order to further reduce energy consumption, lighting is automatically dimmed where possible, or switched off by means of daylight-dependent sensors and motion detectors. Since all of ETAP’s LED luminaires are available with DALI drivers, this was not a problem.