Contact:
Jeff Grabarec, Fastenal, 847.623.9920
Paul Bennett, Liquid Controls, 847-283-8339
Steve Heins, Orion Energy Systems, 920-892-9340, ext. 226
Energy Efficient Lighting Project Equivalent to Removing 1,138 Cars from Road
Lake Bluff, IL. Liquid Controls (A unit of IDEX Corporation), a provider of high quality flow meters and accessories for accurate liquid measurement in both custody transfer and process control applications, announced the completion of an energy-efficient lighting project in its 50,000 square feet manufacturing facility in Lake Bluff, IL. Liquid Controls expects to save over 400,000 kilowatts hours (kWh) annually and over 8 million kWh over the sustainable lifetime of the lighting fixtures. The project was managed by Fastenal and supplied by Orion Energy Systems of Plymouth, Wisconsin.
The payback on the project is thirteen months.
In addition, the Illinois-based manufacturer will take enough power off the electrical grid to provide enough electricity to power 77 homes or a bedroom community of over 308 people, according to the EPA formula.
The environmental impact of Liquid Control’s energy-efficient lighting project will decrease air pollution and environmental damage over the lifetime of Orion’s fixture, the Illuminator, by 6,024 tons of carbon dioxide, 1,643 tons of carbon, 22 tons of sulfur dioxide, 51 tons of nitrous oxides, and 1 pounds of mercury. This is the equivalent of saving 730,167 gallons of gas or planting 1,474 acres of trees.
“When Liquid Controls came to us looking for cost saving opportunities, we immediately thought of our new partnership with Orion Energy Systems as a huge opportunity,” stated Jeff Grabarec, General Manager of Fastenal’s Waukegan, IL store. “We have been able to provide huge cost savings for Liquid Controls; and, in additional, the new lighting has changed the entire workplace environment in their plant. The employees have raved about the improved light levels, especially in the machining department where the quality control of parts is so critical.”
As an emerging Wisconsin company, Orion Energy Systems has received the prestigious Spirit of Ecology Award at the 32nd Annual Governor’s New Product Award Program for the Illuminator. More recently, Orion received the Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Grand Award winner for the Emerging Growth category by the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and the Wisconsin Business Friend of the Environment Award.
“We run a high precision machine and assembly shop here, so to be able to see better means that we are more productive and more precise,” said Paul Bennett, Director of Materials Management of Liquid Controls. “We are constantly pressured to reduce our costs and this is one of the easiest ways to do it. The way I see it we have accomplished three important goals at once: improved profitability, improved the workplace for employees, and improved Lake Bluff and Illinois’ environment by using less electricity.”
About Liquid Controls
Liquid Controls was established in 1954 as a privately owned company, and was incorporated in the IDEX family of companies in 2001. Liquid Controls is a leading manufacturer of positive displacement (pd) meters and electronic flow computers applied for high-accuracy liquid measurement, worldwide. Products are manufactured in the company’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Lake Bluff, Illinois. Major applications include flow measurement in the refined fuels, LPG, and aviation fuels markets, as well as in industrial markets. Products are taken to market through a worldwide network of OEMs and Full Service Distributors. For more information visit the web site at www.lcmeter.com .
About Fastenal
Fastenal was founded in 1967 in Winona, MN by company Chairman, Bob Kierlin. From this beginning, Fastenal has expanded to become the fastest growing full-line industrial distributor, and is now the largest fastener distributor in the nation. Our service-oriented business network currently includes an in-house Manufacturing Division, a product Quality Assurance and Engineering Department, a strategic system of 12 Distribution Centers in the U.S., a fleet of over 275 company-owned semi-trucks and trailers and over 1300 Store sites. For more information, visit www.fastenal.com.
About Orion
Orion Energy Systems has been innovating in the energy business since 1996. The company recently won the Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Grand Award in the Emerging Growth category, given by the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce Association, the Wisconsin Business Friend of the Environment Award, was chosen as a “Success Story” for the 2002 Governor’s Summit on Capital, and owns numerous patents.
Orion is an energy systems company, which manufactures and markets energy efficient lighting solutions for the manufacturing, distribution center, warehousing, commercial, school, and gymnasium market. Orion provides capacity displacement solutions for supply side management, transmission management, and demand side management for the electricity industry. For more information, visit the web site at www.oriones.com.
