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Marshalls installs energy efficient Marl LED floodlights
23rd May 2013
Leading UK manufacturer achieves 75% reduction in floodlight power consumption
Marl Bay Range Floodlights at Marshalls Plc
Marshalls plc, the UK's leading hard landscaping transformation company, has fitted Marl International Bay Range LED floodlighting to stockyards at five of its manufacturing sites to replace high pressure sodium and metal halide floodlights – reducing the energy consumption per floodlight by up to 75%.
Pete Stevens, Group Energy and Carbon Manager at Marshalls plc, who was responsible for managing this project, said, "Marl LED floodlights not only offer a clear environmental benefit but contribute to the group bottom line too. Replacing high level floodlights is an expensive exercise, but despite the relatively high installation costs on this part of the project, the payback in projects using the Marl lights is just 18 months. This figure includes the reduction in maintenance costs due to the much longer life of the Marl floodlights."
Marshalls has an exceptionally strong sustainability culture, with clear company objectives to reduce carbon emissions on a year-by-year basis. The Marl floodlighting is one element of a lighting project being rolled out across the Marshalls Group that has reduced the companies' carbon footprint by a total of 1,200 tonnes per year.
Marl and Marshalls worked closely in partnership to determine the type and design of yard lighting to meet the operational needs of Marshalls.
Pete Stevens added, "The Marl floodlights are a major step forward in helping us to reduce carbon emissions, and reduce on-going maintenance replacement of bulbs. It was great to work in partnership with Marl to bring about a successful project."
Pete went on to say that the light provided by Marl 60W and 94W Bay Range 748 and 774 Series floodlights was at least as good as that provided by the existing high pressure sodium lamps which draw at least 400W. As a result, he authorised the replacement of over 500 lighting fixtures. These included high lights over the loading bays themselves, low level lighting around the buildings and high level lights on the roadways at the site.
Pete concluded, "The project as a whole shows just how much carbon is generated around the business by lighting, and proves that energy efficient lighting isn't just about increased sustainability but also provides an attractive financial return. We are looking at using LED lighting in other areas, including our offices."
The Marl 774 Series floodlights installed by Marshalls are 94W triple bay lights producing clear, cool white light output. The triple lighting module provides great versatility – all three modules can be pointed downwards to provide a powerful concentrated beam, or the outer modules can be angled to disperse light over a wide area by using the adjustment settings. It is ideal for the illumination of large areas including car parks, industrial estates, quarries and railway stabling yards. The 748 Series delivers considerable maintenance cost savings, with its long rated life of 60,000 hours, equivalent to over 13 years at 12 hours per day. In this time, a halogen floodlight would need to be replaced 30 times, based on a standard life of 2,000 hours. Marl is offering an up to five-year guarantee on the light.
About Marshalls
Established in the late 1880s, Marshalls is the UK's leading manufacturer of superior natural stone and innovative concrete hard landscaping products, supplying the construction, home improvement and landscape markets. Marshalls provides the product ranges, design services, technical expertise, innovative ideas and inspiration to transform gardens, drives and public and commercial landscapes.
Marshalls operates its own quarries and manufacturing sites throughout the UK, including a national network of manufacturing and distribution sites. As a major plc, Marshalls is committed to quality in everything it does, including the achievement of high environmental and ethical standards and continual improvement in health and safety performance.
New LED floodlights cut energy use at schools and sports centres
12th March 2013
Hoops Basketball Centre reports 80% plus energy saving from new exterior floodlights
LED lighting transforms the sports hall at Northern England private school
Marl Floodlights at Hoops Basketball Centre
A new range of efficient LED floodlighting from Marl International is providing schools, colleges and sports centres with energy savings of 50-80%, improving the ambiance and cutting maintenance costs too. A basketball club realised even higher energy savings of over 80% after replacing standard SON floodlights with LED floodlights that are not only more efficient but also better directed onto key areas.
Marl International Bay Range LED floodlights provide an efficient, flexible light source for interior sports halls and outdoors on sports fields and courts. Energy efficient 772, 773 and 774 series floodlights from the Marl Bay Range have single, double and triple modules for targeted illumination with low light pollution and wastage. In addition to the energy savings, they provide clear white light giving a better ambiance particularly indoors, and a long life of at least 50,000 hours.
Marl has recently completed installations of the new floodlights outside at Hoops Basketball Centre, Barrow-in-Furness and indoors in the sports hall at Abbey Gate College in Cheshire. At the Hoops Centre, Marl fitted eight 30W and two 90W floodlights around the outside of the building, replacing twelve 350W SON fixtures. The new fixtures are much more efficient, and better targeted onto the emergency exit routes rather than the surrounding grass. According to Hoops Basketball Centre Manager, Ian France, "The installation gives us an immediate energy saving of over 80%, as well as a reduction in maintenance cost as the new lights need replacing less often. We're also impressed with the quality of the lights. The security CCTV images are much improved because the LED floodlights are whiter. We are looking at installing an extra light to illuminate the car park."
Marl Floodlights at Abbey Gate College sports hall
Commenting on the installation of LED lights inside the sports hall at one of the North of England's most prestigious independent schools, Abbey Gate College, Cheshire, Business Manager Andrew Bache said, "The real appeal of Marl LED lights for us is the convenience and improvement in the environment. Though the sodium lights were adequate for football and gymnastics, the hall is also used for examinations and social events. We were able to dramatically increase the light level in the hall, ensuring the corners as well as the central area is brightly lit. The LED lights are much whiter and very much more even, since the output of the sodium lamps degrades noticeably as they age."
In addition to improving the appearance, the new lights offered cost savings in several areas, as Mr Bache explained. "The sodium lights took about 20 minutes to warm up, so were normally left on all day. Now we can just switch them on when we arrive and off when we leave."
Different colour temperatures and optical configurations can be selected for varying light distances and intensities making them an excellent solution for sports halls and arenas, recreational and public areas, marquees, perimeter fencing, gardens and car parks. Motion and dusk to dawn sensors can be integrated and the instant illumination with no warm-up time required saves on unnecessary light-on time. All three floodlights feature robust casing and are fully sealed to IP67 standard for total protection against dust, temporary immersion of water and to safeguard against vandalism, extreme weather conditions and reduce maintenance costs of replacing broken lights.
These super bright floodlights use the latest LED technology with a luminous efficacy of 83.3 to 94.2 lumens/Watt from an 110V-27V AC mains supply. With a single module, the 772 Series dimensions are 300 x 93 x 223mm and weighs 2.8kg; the double module 773 Series is 300 x 193 x 253 and weighs 4.7kg; and the triple module 774 Series is 300 x 293 x 253, weighing 6kg.
Marl adds top US range of LED panel indicators
5th March 2013
Nylon mounted and light pipe LED indicators complement UK manufactured range
Bivar to take British made product to the US market
Marl Quick-Mount Panel Mount Indicator
Marl International has added a top quality range of LED panel indicators following its appointment as UK distributor for Bivar, a leading Californian manufacturer. Bivar products complement the LED panel indicators that Marl designs and manufactures itself at its facility in Ulverston, England with cost-effective nylon mounted products and a light pipe range.
According to Adrian Rawlinson, Managing Director of Marl International, "We carefully evaluated Bivar before setting up a relationship and they offer an outstanding range of quality LED indicators that present our customers with new solutions that we aren't able to offer ourselves. Our partnership with them is particularly exciting because it is bi-lateral. Bivar will bring Marl's British made products to the US market."
"We value our strong relationship with Marl and share in the excitement at what we can create together," said Tom Silber, President, Bivar, Inc. "I'm confident customers will benefit from greater accessibility to our products and solutions."
The partnership with Bivar gives Marl customers access to ten new families. These include nylon LED panel mount indicators with both leaded and wired contact or connectors, a choice of 3mm or 5mm LED sizes and a wide selection of colours and lens styles. Nylon mounted products are a cost-effective alternative to metal, and are also lighter in weight. Marl is offering an IP67 rated family with a watertight seal to the front panel. The housing and lens in this range is specifically designed for tough environments, and are made from an ESD protected material. The threaded housing provides positive locking to resist constant vibration, and a diffused lens provides uniform illumination and a wide angle viewing capability. Marl customers can also specify a quick-mount nylon style with a unique quick locking mechanism.
Also new to Marl from Bivar is a range of flexible light pipes with nylon housings, for transmitting light from a PCB mounted LED to the front panel. Bivar flexible light pipe indicators are available with a quick-mount fitting to the front panel, and can be press fitted onto the LED. They are suitable for use with surface mount LEDs as well as 3mm and 5mm size, Orca LEDs and can be fitted to vertical and horizontal mounted LEDs. Their lenses are ESD protected and moulded from an optical grade material which allows for maximum light transmission. Marl is also offering Bivar flexible light pipes with an IP67 rated metal housing for industrial, commercial, defence and similar applications.
About Bivar
Bivar is a leading specialty provider of LED indication products and solutions with a long-standing history of more than 45 years of innovation in the optoelectronics industry. With a global base of customers in 35 countries, Bivar's products are designed to meet the increased demand for point-to-point indication and address a growing range of industrial markets and applications. Bivar's focus is on moving and positioning light. An employee-owned company, Bivar's corporate headquarters are located in Southern Calif., with manufacturing in Calif., China and Taiwan.
Bivar's Asia Pacific production and logistics centers offer scalable capacity, execution, control and movement of product around the world. Bivar is widely supported by a highly-qualified network of authorized representatives and distributors. For more information, please visit www.bivar.com.
Marshalls extends efficient outdoor lighting partnership
18th February 2013
Marshalls partners with LED lighting pioneer Marl International to create integrated energy efficient outdoor and landscape lights
Extending the partnership to create unique ranges of energy efficient, high end effect and landscape lighting products are Graham Round, Distribution Manager, Marl International (left) and Daniel Smith, Consumer Product Manager, Marshalls Plc (right).
Marshalls, the UK's leading manufacturer of superior natural stone and innovative concrete hard landscaping products, is working in conjunction with Marl International, its preferred lighting partner, to create a high end, unique range of LED outdoor effect lights and landscape lighting products for the consumer market.
Within the partnership, Marl International will create new energy efficient LED driveway, patio and feature lighting products designed specifically to integrate into Marshalls paving, stone and other hard landscaping products. These new lighting products will be available both from the Marshalls site and the Marl Outdoor LEDs site, as well as the two companies other outlets.
Marl International and Marshalls first started promoting an initial range of affordable landscape lighting products in August 2012. Such has been the demand for these products, that the two companies have now extended the partnership and will be releasing additional products and promoting them more extensively.
Arianna Rawlinson, Business Development Manager for the Outdoor LEDs range, commented, "Marshalls is the UK's leading supplier of hard landscaping products and we're delighted with this growing partnership. By developing the range jointly, we can ensure that our lights dovetail perfectly with Marshall's popular ranges. The new ranges will provide lighting that improves safety and security and enhances the appearance of homes and business premises, but use very little energy."
Gemma Chappell Head of Domestic Marketing from Marshalls added, "Marl and Marshalls have created a very distinctive range of lighting products that puts quality design and sensational landscapes within reach of every home and garden. The Outdoor LEDs range is affordable, atmospheric and energy efficient – the essentials for exterior lighting. Our partnership truly takes garden lighting into the 21st century."
The new range on the www.outdoorleds.co.uk and www.marshalls-shop.co.uk websites is characterised by a high light output and low energy consumption. Typically, LED lights use between 10% and 80% less energy than alternative technologies. Marl LED lights are also exceptionally reliable and long lasting – offering up to ten years continuous use. The new additions will include three different styles of spike light, new driveway and patio lighting solutions, as well as additional feature lighting products to spotlight statues, signage, pools and other structures. Each light is characterised by a carefully considered design which balances style and rugged reliability.Marshalls registered installers will be eligible for preferential pricing on the range.
About Marshalls
Established in the late 1880s, Marshalls is the UK's leading manufacturer of superior natural stone and innovative concrete hard landscaping products, supplying the construction, home improvement and landscape markets. Marshalls provides the product ranges, design services, technical expertise, innovative ideas and inspiration to transform gardens, drives and public and commercial landscapes.
Marshalls operates its own quarries and manufacturing sites throughout the UK, including a national network of manufacturing and distribution sites. As a major plc, Marshalls is committed to quality in everything it does, including the achievement of high environmental and ethical standards and continual improvement in health and safety performance.
About Outdoor LEDs
Outdoor LEDs specialise in the design and manufacture of high quality, affordable, and atmospheric exterior lighting, essential for celebrity lifestyles and sensational landscapes. A dedicated sales team are on hand to assist with any project when creating stunning outdoor living spaces with LED lights and have a wealth of knowledge and experience to help select the right product for the job. Our expertise, stylish and durable products, and competitive pricing enables us to provide our customers with outstanding support and service to spark party vibes and a great big feel good factor on patios, walls, lawns, flowerbeds, garden features and even driveways.
Outdoor LEDs products are sold to distributors and stockists serving the building, garden and leisure, and architectural landscape industries.
For more information, please contact:
Outdoor LEDs, Marl Business Park, Ulverston, Cumbria, LA12 9BN, UK.
Tel: +44 (0)800 970 1970; Email: outdoorleds@marl.co.uk
Website: www.outdoorleds.co.uk
Sports hall at top school transformed with Marl LED lighting
11th February 2013
Marl International has transformed the sports hall at one of the North of England's most prestigious independent schools, Abbey Gate College, Cheshire, by installing LED lighting that improved the hall environment, and provided much brighter and more even lighting that comes on instantly.
Commenting on the installation of LED lights at Abbey Gate College, Business Manager Andrew Bache said, "The real appeal of Marl LED lights for us is the convenience and improvement in the environment. Though the sodium lights were adequate for football and gymnastics, the hall is also used for examinations and social events. We were able to dramatically increase the light level in the hall, ensuring the corners as well as the central area is brightly lit. The LED lights are much whiter and very much more even, since the output of the sodium lamps degrades noticeably as they age."
Karl Brooks, Strategic Account Manager of Marl who managed the installation said, "With the new lighting, the darkest areas of the hall are as brightly lit as the centre was previously, and the centre is even brighter. There is also now relatively little difference between the edges and the centre."
In addition to improving the appearance, the new lights offered cost savings in several areas, as Mr Bache explained, "The sodium lights took about 20 minutes to warm up, so were normally left on all day. Now we can just switch them on when we arrive and off when we leave."
Mr Bache concluded, "Marl's help in sourcing a suitable light for our application was exceptional. Now, the biggest problem we face is reminding staff to turn the lights off when they leave. Everyone notices the improvement in the hall environment. One of the most visible is the way people no longer appear 'orange' in photographs."
At Abbey Gate College, Marl replaced sixteen SON 250W sodium lamps with thirty-two 145W 774-series Bay Range 3-way floodlights. Following the installation, light levels across the hall improved considerably and are much more even. Measured brightness was around 200 lux at 1m from the wall with the old lighting, and is now about 350 lux – a 75% improvement. In the centre of the hall light levels have gone up by just over 20% from 350 lux to 450 lux.
About Abbey Gate College
Abbey Gate College is an independent, co-educational school located approximately five miles south of Chester occupying two leased sites within the Duke of Westminster's Estate. Pupils, parents and staff value and cherish the wonderful setting of the College. The grounds of the Senior School at Saighton Grange and the Infant/Junior School at Aldford provide a unique environment for the education of the pupils. Over recent years the College has worked hard to enhance the quality and range of facilities on site, and delivers a diverse range of educational opportunities offering a broad and balanced curriculum. The College continually seeks to develop its facilities in order to provide a high quality learning environment, where "all students achieve their academic and personal potential" (ISI Inspection Report 2010).
Marl International and Bivar create global opto alliance with manufacturing on three continents
28th January 2013
California-based LED lighting manufacturer Bivar Inc and UK-based Marl International have formed an international opto-electronics partnership with manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and Asia and a portfolio of approximately 24,000 high performance LED and light pipe products. The partnership will supply and support customers around the world through a global network of agents and distributors.
Photo from left to right: Graham Round, Distribution Manager, Marl International; Tom Silber, President, Bivar, Inc.; Adrian Rawlinson, MD, Marl International; Nathan Orton, Technical and Procurement Director, Marl International; Michael Finn, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Bivar; Paul McDermott-Roe, Sales Director, Marl International; David Moorhouse, Operations Director, Marl International.
Before signing the partnership, the CEOs of the two companies, Tom Silber, President of Bivar and Adrian Rawlinson, Managing Director of Marl International spent two years looking at how the two companies can most effectively combine their strengths to the benefit of both sets of existing and potential customers. Both companies fully recognise the importance of becoming a global player, and the agreement is the first phase of an exciting joint strategic plan.
Commenting on the relationship, Tom Silber, President of Bivar said, "We value our strong relationship with Marl and share in the excitement at what we can create together. I'm confident customers will benefit from greater accessibility to our products and solutions."
Adrian Rawlinson concluded, "The similarities between Bivar and Marl are uncanny, the synergies and potential are phenomenal. Our collaboration is particularly exciting because it's bilateral. We will be promoting availability of Bivar products in the UK and Europe whilst Bivar are accelerating development of Marl products in North America."
The two companies first initiative is "moving light to the front of the panel" with the launch of an enhanced product range of panel mount indicators and flexible light pipes with a wide variety of features and options based on metal and cost effective nylon housings. The dynamic nature of the collaboration also enables both organisations to encourage enquiries for custom solutions.
About Bivar
Bivar is a leading specialty provider of LED indication products and solutions with a long-standing history of more than 45 years of innovation in the optoelectronics industry. With a global base of customers in 35 countries, Bivar's products are designed to meet the increased demand for point-to-point indication and address a growing range of industrial markets and applications. Bivar's focus is on moving and positioning light. An employee-owned company, Bivar's corporate headquarters are located in Southern Calif., with manufacturing in Calif., China and Taiwan.
Bivar's Asia Pacific production and logistics centers offer scalable capacity, execution, control and movement of product around the world. Bivar is widely supported by a highly-qualified network of authorized representatives and distributors. For more information, please visit www.bivar.com.
Marl Manufacturing speeds delivery with call-off production service
8th January 2013
Marl Manufacturing has introduced a 'call-off' service, allowing customers to get delivery of production batches of completed electronics products on turn-around times as short as 2-5 working days. Marl Manufacturing offers a 'concept to manufacturing' technical product realisation service for businesses who need to introduce a technology based product but have no technical skills or resources in-house.
Under the call-off service, Marl Manufacturing, in partnership with its suppliers, will agree to hold a buffer stock of all the components required to assemble a product, and commit to delivery of production quantities within a defined period of receiving an order. The delivery speed is negotiated individually, but can be as short as two days if required, or up to a week. Bespoke components like the printed circuit board (PCB) are manufactured in advance and held in stock if necessary to meet the required lead-time.
Commenting, Adrian Rawlinson, Managing Director of Marl International, said, "The Marl Manufacturing call-off service gives customers the best of both worlds. They can take delivery in a fast, guaranteed timeframe, without the capital commitment that a large stock of finished products requires. The call-off service also gives customers a lot of flexibility, as there is no need to commit to a delivery schedule, and in some cases the exact specification can be varied depending on customer demand."
He continued, "We can offer fast turn-around and competitive pricing on small volumes, but with our sourcing and logistics expertise we can match offshore manufactured price levels on much higher volumes as well. We provide a cost effective and highly professional assembly and manufacturing service based in the UK to our wide base of customers."
The Marl Manufacturing product realisation service is a complete technical product creation and realisation package, and is equally applicable to general electronic control and display systems as to those making use of LED lighting. The key strength of Marl Manufacturing is that the entire product realisation process from concept to design to prototype to volume manufacturing is conducted under one roof at its base in Ulverston, England. This creates a strong connection between the different stages of the product realisation process, and provides a unique flexibility to adapt and change if the customer’s needs evolve and develop during the course of a project.
Marl offers cable assembly, wiring looms and box build services as well as sub-assembly or complete system build including electronic PCB assembly. Design and manufacturing of bespoke housings to suit the application environment is a particular strength of Marl. Marl International has recently invested £120,000 in tools for prototype and small batch production allowing it to offer a particularly strong service in this area. It has also announced a partnership with Anglia Components, to strengthen its supply chain.
For further information about this service, please contact the Marl Sales team.