Wall lights brighten Liebherr plant

Liebherr Sunderland Cranes Ltd. is a company of huge importance to the city of Sunderland, both as a local employer and an international supplier and exporter. At the beginning of 2013, Liebherr announced plans to extend the Wearside site and refurbish the 30 year old production hall. Hambleside Danelaw’s Zenon Evolution wall lights have been selected to replace the existing wall lights which have become heavily engrained with dirt over the years, making the production hall a dark place to work.

The production hall is an HH Robertson’s metal profile building envelope and is based on the south bank of the River Wear. It is a very tall building – approximately 30m high and, due to the location, strong winds can cause high levels of wind suction. It was therefore specified that the replacement wall lights must have excellent structural strength without compromising translucency. Easyseal UK, the main contractor promoted Hambleside Danelaw Zenon Evolution wall lights as they are exceptionally strong, despite being thinner than the average wall lights. The thinner, low resin content of the wall lights reduces the embodied carbon and makes them easier to install and seal within a metal profile building. At fire grade SAA0, these wall lights possess the highest level of fire retardancy to meet specific fire performance requirements.

16 vertical runs of wall lights needed replacing, along with the main 50m horizontal run which spans the length of the building. Ronnie Thirlwell, Director of Easyseal UK commented, “We have dealt with Hambleside Danelaw in the past and have always received a service that is second to none. The brief itself was simple – improve the light quality in the factory. The Zenon Evolution wall lights were ideal for the project. There were some concerns in identifying the profile as it is such an old building, but Paul Hanratty and Vince Cranmer were on hand to provide superb technical backup and attended site several times to ensure everything was going smoothly. We have had tremendous feedback from Liebherr and have been asked to quote for the installation of further wall lights on the other side of the factory.”

Michael Sharman, Processes Administrator who is based at the Liebherr Sunderland site said, “The new wall lights have made a huge difference to the working environment. Even on a day that’s dreary, it is still bright in the factory.” It is clear that the replacement wall lights have made a big impact on the Sunderland team.