Storage/Staging: Distributor chooses intelligent lighting system for new DC

Quality Bicycle Products (QBP) is the largest wholesale distributor of bicycle parts and accessories to the cycling industry, serving more than 5,000 independent bike dealers in the United States, Canada and Europe. In 2014, QBP relocated its eastern warehouse and distribution center to a location about 30 miles away to a new 122,000-square-foot facility. An intelligent lighting system cut potential energy costs by 85%, made the company eligible for rebates, and eliminated lighting maintenance from the budget.

Housing more than 35,000 SKUs from more than 450 vendors, the company’s facility features numerous energy efficient systems including high-volume/low-speed fans, an integrated HVAC system and advanced skylight technology.

“From the start of the new building construction, our goal was to create an all-around better building. We knew we wanted to invest in quality systems, rather than spend time and money to improve them later on,” says Dave Smith, site manager at QBP East. “A high priority for us was to consume less energy from day one, using solutions that are natively efficient in design and function.”

Smith says the team evaluated four different high-bay lighting solutions: T5 HO fluorescent, simple LED fixture, LED fixture with standard motion sensors, and the intelligent LED lighting system with energy management software. The intelligent system secured 85% (573,994 kWh) lighting-related energy savings over fluorescent alternatives, save 66% over plain LED alternatives, halved labor costs for circuit installation and reduced fixture count by 30% from the original lighting design.

The new solution offers fully integrated occupancy and daylight sensing, scheduling and dimming capabilities, advanced controls for nighttime lighting profiles, and the ability to leverage natural light from skylights.

“It is very intuitive and lets you easily change lighting outputs, schedules and reports,” Smith says. “We have 45 skylights across the distribution center, so having the fixtures adjust automatically to the amount of natural light coming through is a huge advantage.”

Digital Lumens
617-723-1200
digitallumens.com