Illuminating your warehouse: Does your layout dictate your lighting, or vice versa?

Warehouse space is in the throes of transformation. The so-called fourth industrial evolution (4IR), in which breakthroughs in the Internet of Things, robotics, and artificial intelligence drive “extreme automation and extreme connectivity,” is revolutionizing warehouses and logistics centers. New technology means new opportunities, but it can also leave business owners and decision-makers uncertain about what new tools to adopt. Which make the most sense? Which will still be useful a few years from now?

Such questions are especially relevant when it comes to lighting for warehouses and logistics facilities. For one thing, the latest LED lighting installations are the exact opposite of disposable: They typically last for over a decade. That means building owners and facility managers need to think twice before they buy – merely replacing lighting when application conditions change is not an option. (Not to mention that such a move would be contrary to the “circular economy” principles that are gaining more and more purchase in industry today; and would encourage new business models and practices based on the make, use, and return principle.)

And application conditions will change. Due to changing customer demands, tech innovation, and facilities expansion, warehouses and logistics/distribution centers are becoming more and more dynamic. New tenants arrive, extra production facilities go on line, spaces divide or combine or otherwise undergo redesign. The upshot for lighting is that it needs to become more versatile, more adaptable, and even capable of being put to new uses in different settings.

A luminaire that changes as conditions do

That’s where adjustable optics of the sort that power the new-generation LED Philips GentleSpace luminaire come in. This luminaire is well-suited for high-ceilinged industrial spaces of the sort that are typically illuminated by point source high bay lighting – a lighting type that offers considerable flexibility in how ceiling fixtures can be mounted. (“High-bay lighting” refers to lighting in spaces that vary from 5 to 18 meters in height.)

Enabled by the flexible optical elements within GentleSpace, users can create either narrow, medium, mid-beam or wide beam shapes in spaces. The result is different light distributions, depending on the changing physical disposition of the industrial space in question, hence the luminaire can very easily adopt to the changing needs of applications. For example, if you add a new production line on one side of an industrial space, you’ll need to change to a wider distribution; alternatively, if you block off a part of the space to make an office out of it, you’ll need to switch to narrower light distribution in the remaining industrial section of the facility.

Such is GentleSpace’s versatility that you can even move a luminaire to a different facility and adjust its distribution to the dimensions and space requirements there.

The luminaire’s rectangular shape, historically popular with warehouse users, might strike the uninitiated as prone to hinder the rotation of optical plates – but in fact it facilitates free rotation, even as it maximizes efficiency and minimizes light waste, shining light only where it’s needed.

The upshot is that, with GentleSpace, warehouse users can adjust a beam on-site even after installation, without making any compromises when it comes to light quality. What’s more, the highly intuitive process of adjusting the optical elements is screwless, so it can be performed in the absence of dedicated training. In short, Philips GentleSpace offers managers lighting that can change repeatedly over time as the layouts of their warehouses and distribution centers do.

Adjustable optics for the 4IR

In addition to those benefits, Philips GentleSpace tech minimizes total cost of ownership, is easy to upgrade and integrate with systems and software applications, and makes it easy to replace components. It can, moreover, be used in conjunction with Interact Industry lighting management software, which extends the value of connected lighting by collecting data on space usage and operations; Interact’s centralized lighting management lets you reduce operational expenses, track compliance, and plan maintenance.

In general, GentleSpace is poised to function as the premier luminaire for the warehouse and logistics sector’s 4IR future.

Ad de Vaan

System Architect, New Product Architectures