Just outside Milan, the Eurovetrocap warehouse manufactures glass and plastic containers for the cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and food industries. Having undergone a period of significant growth in the last 35 years, the business hosts a variety of manufacturing and decorating machinery on-site to meet a range of packaging needs. With such a large amount of on-site active machinery and equipment, Eurovetrocap needed to ensure the premises and staff were well defended in the event of an emergency and turned to Hochiki’s fully compliant emergency lighting system – FIREscape.
For large packaging manufacturing plants like the Eurovetrocap site, it is crucial that practical and robust life-safety solutions are installed, as warehouses like these are fast-paced and busy environments with hundreds of workers and lots of complex machinery on-site – increasing the risks in case of an emergency. As a result, the installation of ultra-reliable life-safety systems that can guide people out of often maze-like and crowded spaces is essential for protecting staff and visitors.
Providing the optimum defence
Installers AZG Antincendio srl were the company hired to specify and fit the systems that would protect workers in the warehouse. Giuseppe Lazzarini, Manager Proposal Firefighting Systems at AZG Antincendio srl, commented: ‘When it came to this industrial project, we wanted to select a product range that could reliably support people out of the building in an emergency. However, we also needed solutions that were both economical for the end-user and suitable for installation in the warehouse’s large production area – which includes many machines and high shelves. Hochiki’s unique, self-testing emergency lighting system, FIREscape fit these requirements perfectly.’
Fully compliant to EN 1838 standards, and easy to install, FIREscape has significant advantages for both installers and end users. The system network is immediately accessible due to an addressable EL-2 control panel and its discreet, wall-mounted user keypad (EL-KP) – with two of each installed at the Eurovetrocap warehouse. Connecting the system together, each panel can also host two lighting lines with up to 127 devices per line. While an infinite number of FIREscape panels can then be connected together using LAN cards (dependent on number of IP addresses, supporting hardware and processing power).
The self-testing system constantly monitors the status of the luminaires to give duty holders continual peace of mind. Likewise, the EL-2 control panels have been developed to locate and identify problems such as an uncharged or faulty device, enabling facility managers – who are notified of issues via the keypads – to address any issues quickly, guaranteeing a high quality of life-safety protection while also reducing maintenance issues.
A cost-effective, greener solution
Installing the FIREscape range reduces long-term maintenance expenses for building owners too. The installation and maintenance of the lighting lines doesn’t have to be carried out by an electrical engineer thanks to the use of low-voltage cabling. This ensures minimal disruption at the installation stage, and reduces the costs of labour and future upkeep.
The FIREscape series is also a much greener solution, making it perfect for businesses like Eurovetrocap that are committed to improving sustainability. In fact, a standard FIREscape luminaire consumes less than 0.5W when charging, dropping to 0.1W when fully charged, lowering the overall energy consumption of the system and reducing CO2 emissions. In comparison to similar mains-driven fluorescent lighting units, which typically consume 12W, the energy savings made from choosing the FIREscape luminaire are significant. Over a period of ten years, for example, FIREscape can reduce running costs by up to 89% when compared to traditional lighting, and typically offers a return on investment by year three after installation.
Project challenges
Alberto Ferrari, Technical Sales Manager at Hochiki Italia, said: ‘The Eurovetrocap warehouse project was not without its challenges. To ensure the lighting was completely compliant with EN standards – which require one lux at one metre from the ground, we had to use Dialux software to make precise calculations during the design phase, as luminaires had been installed in the building at 12 metres high. Once this was addressed, we were pleased that the project was a great success.’
Giampaolo Herrmann, CEO at Eurovetrocap added: ‘We are delighted that our new emergency lighting system is able to provide occupants and employees with the ultimate level of protection. At the same time, the solution is also helping us meet our environmental and efficiency requirements, which has another degree of value to the works which have been carried out for us by the team.’
For more information, go to www.hochikieurope.com/italia
