Ford installing US$25M in LED lighting at manufacturing plants
by Cleantech Canada Staff
Annual energy costs expected to drop by US$7 million with installation of LED lighting at 17 facilities, including two in Ontario
DEARBORN, Mich.—Ford Motor Co. is installing 25,000 light-emitting diode (LED) light fixtures at its manufacturing facilities around the world, including both its plants in Ontario, as it looks to cut energy use.
The automaker said its energy costs are expected to drop by US$7 million annually after it completes the project to install the efficient lighting, made by Dialight plc, at 18 plants, including an assembly site in Oakville, Ont., and an engine plant in Windsor, Ont.
The lighting is worth more than US$25 million, according to Ford.
“We are extremely pleased to install this leading-edge technology in our manufacturing facilities worldwide,” Ford’s executive vice-president of global manufacturing, John Fleming, said in a statement. “This is a long-term investment in our future that highlights our aggressive approach to lead in environmental improvements and achieve operating efficiencies.”
The project started at the automaker’s truck plant in Dearborn, Mich., and will continue throughout the year.
Used to replace traditional high-intensity discharge (HID) and fluorescent lights, the LED fixtures are expected to reduce Ford’s energy use at its manufacturing facilities by a combined 56 million kilowatt-hours annually—enough, Ford said, to power more than 6,000 homes per year.
“Moving to LED gives us impressive efficiency improvement,” said George Andraos, Ford’s director of energy and sustainability. “Ford worked closely with its scientists and suppliers to investigate and closely follow the rapid development of LED lighting.”
The switch to LED lighting is part of Ford’s program to cut energy use per vehicle produced globally by 25 per cent by 2015.
According to Andraos, the company has so far cut energy use by 20 per cent per vehicle.
In addition to plants in Dearborn, Windsor and Oakville, the automaker said it will replace lights at facilities in Louisville, Ky., Livonia, Mich., and Dagenham, U.K.
