PROJECT DETAILS
Swiss Post
Härkingen, Switzerland
Installed Products
IMPROVED WORKING ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY SAVINGS AT SWISS POST THANKS TO BALANCED TUNABLEWHITE
Sorting letters, postal and goods consignments by hand is demanding work. It requires a high level of concentration and the best visual conditions possible. For the mail centre of the Swiss Post in Härkingen, Zumtobel and its partners, have developed a lighting system that is exemplary. A balanced tunableWhite solution, designed especially for the manual task of sorting letters, that aims to protect the delicate biorhythm of the people who work through the night.
The mail centre of Swiss Post in Härkingen is an important handling hub for several million postal items every month. Items which cannot be read by machines but have to be sorted by hand according to postcodes. The facility in Härkingen covers an area of 38,100 square metres and operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in a three-shift model. Together with sensor technology from KellerKom AG, occupational safety experts from the Swiss accident insurance company Suva and scientists from Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Zumtobel developed a lighting solution for the mail distribution centre that is exemplary.
Creating a truly human-centred lighting solution
The starting point of the collaboration was an existing lighting solution of fluorescent lamps without light control, which was at the end of its life cycle. The lighting level in the letter distribution centre of Swiss Post was low. In addition to improving the quality of light itself, the project partners aimed for a modern, sensor-controlled lighting solution. The previously static light should be switched on or off automatically - dependant on the presence of the employees in the individual areas. In addition, there was the special lighting required at the letter sorting stations, which are manned around the clock. Especially during night shifts, it is important to reduce the blue component of the light so as to not interfere with the circadian rhythm, the inner-clock, of the staff. In addition, glare and reflection from the consignments sorted by hand had to be significantly reduce or even removed.
Our refurbishment concept, created with Lichtfuncken, was focused on the needs of the employees. For this purpose, we used state-of-the-art LED luminaires throughout the entire space, which can be controlled with sensor technology from KellerKom - depending on daylight and employee presence. In addition, they can be dynamically adapted to ongoing operations and human needs. A balanced tunableWhite solution is used in the hand sorting area. Different colour temperatures imitate the natural changes between night and day. This supports the human biorhythm, especially in the evening and night shifts. — Beni Zehnder, project manager and lighting consultant at Zumtobel.
In close coordination with occupational safety experts from the Swiss Accident Insurance Fund (Suva), Zumtobel ensured that all workplaces in the Härkingen mail centre are optimally illuminated in accordance with valid standards.
Our employees are on duty around the clock. Therefore, we wanted to ensure that the lighting conditions also optimally support their needs. Everyone is grateful for the improvement in the daily operation of our mail centre. — Christian Mösch, Head of the Härkingen mail centre of Swiss Post.
TECTON system makes conversion simple
Tracks of Zumtobel's multifunctional TECTON continuous-row lighting system had already been installed in the Härkingen mail distribution centre. Therefore, the existing T16 fluorescent tubes could be simply and easily replaced by state-of-the-art LED units. In addition to the power supply, the multifunctional trunking rail of the TECTON system also contains a lighting control system and emergency lighting. With an 11-pole current conduction profile, it stays adaptable for future interfaces. Depending on the visual and lighting tasks, the TECTON C, TECTON basic and TECTON basic RGL system luminaires were used in the mail centre. The new LED luminaires require less frequent maintenance, reducing maintenance costs. In addition, the temperature in the hall could be reduced thanks to the LED technology.
Sensor controls saves 40 % of energy
The flexibility of the lighting concept was crucial in this project. For example, individual areas are illuminated with 200 lx, while others have illuminance levels of up to 1500 lx. A sensor system from KellerKom AG is integrated into the modern LED lighting solution. This detects staff presence and absence and ensures that the lighting is automatically switched off when no one remains in an area.
"This saves 40% of the energy previously used and significantly reduces maintenance costs for Swiss Post," says lighting consultant Beni Zehnder from Zumtobel. "At the same time, we have succeeded in raising the lighting level - in some cases we even doubled it."
Balanced tunableWhite imitates the natural day-night rhythm
In the area of the manual sorting system, Zumtobel relies on balanced tunableWhite technology. This allows the dynamics of natural light to be brought into the interior of the room. This enables the teams to work in accordance with their natural biorhythms. At night, light colours around 3,000 K (warm white) ensure a lighting situation that is perceived as pleasant. Neutral white light (4,000 K) or light with a high blue component, on the other hand, is avoided during the night shift. Furthermore, Zumtobel paid attention to excellent glare control here enabling different font sizes, glossy and matt labels or film wrapped packaging to be optimally read by employees.
An exemplary pilot project with character
The refurbishment of the Härkingen mail centre shows once again how important and successful human-centred lighting solutions are, especially in industrial environments. The refurbishment met with a consistently positive response. Employees can perform their visual tasks in a relaxed manner and in optimal conditions, while operators benefit from significant energy and cost savings. The key to customer satisfaction lies in the advice and support provided by qualified Zumtobel lighting designers - in this case supported by scientists from Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
Sorting letters, postal and goods consignments by hand is demanding work. It requires a high level of concentration and the best visual conditions possible. For the mail centre of the Swiss Post in Härkingen, Zumtobel and its partners, have developed a lighting system that is exemplary. A balanced tunableWhite solution, designed especially for the manual task of sorting letters, that aims to protect the delicate biorhythm of the people who work through the night.
The mail centre of Swiss Post in Härkingen is an important handling hub for several million postal items every month. Items which cannot be read by machines but have to be sorted by hand according to postcodes. The facility in Härkingen covers an area of 38,100 square metres and operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in a three-shift model. Together with sensor technology from KellerKom AG, occupational safety experts from the Swiss accident insurance company Suva and scientists from Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Zumtobel developed a lighting solution for the mail distribution centre that is exemplary.
Creating a truly human-centred lighting solution
The starting point of the collaboration was an existing lighting solution of fluorescent lamps without light control, which was at the end of its life cycle. The lighting level in the letter distribution centre of Swiss Post was low. In addition to improving the quality of light itself, the project partners aimed for a modern, sensor-controlled lighting solution. The previously static light should be switched on or off automatically - dependant on the presence of the employees in the individual areas. In addition, there was the special lighting required at the letter sorting stations, which are manned around the clock. Especially during night shifts, it is important to reduce the blue component of the light so as to not interfere with the circadian rhythm, the inner-clock, of the staff. In addition, glare and reflection from the consignments sorted by hand had to be significantly reduce or even removed.
Our refurbishment concept, created with Lichtfuncken, was focused on the needs of the employees. For this purpose, we used state-of-the-art LED luminaires throughout the entire space, which can be controlled with sensor technology from KellerKom - depending on daylight and employee presence. In addition, they can be dynamically adapted to ongoing operations and human needs. A balanced tunableWhite solution is used in the hand sorting area. Different colour temperatures imitate the natural changes between night and day. This supports the human biorhythm, especially in the evening and night shifts. — Beni Zehnder, project manager and lighting consultant at Zumtobel.
In close coordination with occupational safety experts from the Swiss Accident Insurance Fund (Suva), Zumtobel ensured that all workplaces in the Härkingen mail centre are optimally illuminated in accordance with valid standards.
Our employees are on duty around the clock. Therefore, we wanted to ensure that the lighting conditions also optimally support their needs. Everyone is grateful for the improvement in the daily operation of our mail centre. — Christian Mösch, Head of the Härkingen mail centre of Swiss Post.
TECTON system makes conversion simple
Tracks of Zumtobel's multifunctional TECTON continuous-row lighting system had already been installed in the Härkingen mail distribution centre. Therefore, the existing T16 fluorescent tubes could be simply and easily replaced by state-of-the-art LED units. In addition to the power supply, the multifunctional trunking rail of the TECTON system also contains a lighting control system and emergency lighting. With an 11-pole current conduction profile, it stays adaptable for future interfaces. Depending on the visual and lighting tasks, the TECTON C, TECTON basic and TECTON basic RGL system luminaires were used in the mail centre. The new LED luminaires require less frequent maintenance, reducing maintenance costs. In addition, the temperature in the hall could be reduced thanks to the LED technology.
Sensor controls saves 40 % of energy
The flexibility of the lighting concept was crucial in this project. For example, individual areas are illuminated with 200 lx, while others have illuminance levels of up to 1500 lx. A sensor system from KellerKom AG is integrated into the modern LED lighting solution. This detects staff presence and absence and ensures that the lighting is automatically switched off when no one remains in an area.
"This saves 40% of the energy previously used and significantly reduces maintenance costs for Swiss Post," says lighting consultant Beni Zehnder from Zumtobel. "At the same time, we have succeeded in raising the lighting level - in some cases we even doubled it."
Balanced tunableWhite imitates the natural day-night rhythm
In the area of the manual sorting system, Zumtobel relies on balanced tunableWhite technology. This allows the dynamics of natural light to be brought into the interior of the room. This enables the teams to work in accordance with their natural biorhythms. At night, light colours around 3,000 K (warm white) ensure a lighting situation that is perceived as pleasant. Neutral white light (4,000 K) or light with a high blue component, on the other hand, is avoided during the night shift. Furthermore, Zumtobel paid attention to excellent glare control here enabling different font sizes, glossy and matt labels or film wrapped packaging to be optimally read by employees.
An exemplary pilot project with character
The refurbishment of the Härkingen mail centre shows once again how important and successful human-centred lighting solutions are, especially in industrial environments. The refurbishment met with a consistently positive response. Employees can perform their visual tasks in a relaxed manner and in optimal conditions, while operators benefit from significant energy and cost savings. The key to customer satisfaction lies in the advice and support provided by qualified Zumtobel lighting designers - in this case supported by scientists from Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
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