Research Snapshot: Facility Lighting Systems

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In addition to our analytical marketing skills, clients also value the ability to see and interpret for themselves the unfiltered comments discovered during research efforts with both existing and potential customers. Product developers and engineering managers often find new insights – little nuggets of qualitative gold – in our reports.

​Here's one example from the more than 250 projects we’ve done in technical B2B markets.
Maintenance engineers at manufacturing plants regarding their plans to upgrade facility lighting systems. (Context: site visit interviews in 2001)
Plant Engineer at a factory that makes industrial machinery: “We just have the feeling that we are not doing a very good job of managing all the lighting that we have out here in the factory -- in two respects. One, is to make sure we have current lighting -- for instance, get rid of mercury vapor lights and replace them with more efficient lights. The second thing being we don’t have good control over most of those lights as far as being able to automatically turn them on or turn them off based on occupancy or schedules. People are counted on to turn them on, and we hope when they leave, they turn them off. In a lot of places in the factory, that’s the way it is. And the other thing is that they (lighting) may be grouped in such a way that it’s a very large part of the building that is automatically capable of being turned on and turned off. So, if I’ve got one person working out there, I’m lighting 100,000 square feet for that person. The whole thing is driven by energy efficiency and savings, and providing adequate lighting. That means upgrading to lighting that doesn’t fade out on you as the bulbs get old, like mercury vapor. It all has to do with maintaining lighting levels and energy efficiency.”

Director of Facilities Engineering at a heavy equipment manufacturing plant. “We have an ongoing program over the next three years to improve the quality of lighting in all of our industrial facilities. We’re budgeting money for that every year. We hope to achieve better overall manufacturing quality.”

Energy Specialist at an aluminum manufacturing plant. “We’re looking at improving the working environment within the plant, and part of that is improvements in lighting and ventilation and things of that nature. We’ve got a goal to do significant improvements along those lines in the next few years.”

Staff Engineer at a plant that makes earth-moving equipment. Desire to upgrade lighting system is driven by “efficiency improvements. We want to achieve better energy savings by using more energy-efficient lights.”