Playmobil logistics centre - Herrieden, Germany

And to make sure that none of the small figures are lost in the warehouse with a size of 12 football fields, the packaging and dispatch departments require good, glare-free light – a task that TRILUX faced with confidence. More than 5,200 TRILUX E-Line LED and T5N luminaires have been installed in Herrieden. High efficiency levels, simple mounting and short amortisation periods are just some of the outstanding characteristics of this very adaptable continuous line system.

With a luminous efficacy of up to 148 lumens per watt (with the LED version) the luminaires feature especially high energy efficiency, and various optics, light colours and luminous flux packages between 4,000 and 6,500 lumens enable a flexible response to specific requirements with a single system. As a consequence, not only the narrow aisles between endless racking systems were optimally illuminated, but also the packaging and dispatch areas in the Playmobil warehouse with high ceilings.

In addition to the high level of lighting comfort for the 300 employees of the logistics centre, energy efficiency was also a focus for Playmobil, and a mature light management system was therefore mandatory. This system features daylight-dependent control, and special sensors register the ingress and the level of natural light and add only that component of light needed to reach the desired lighting level. No more, and certainly no less.

For Playmobil it also made sense to combine the light management system with presence sensors to exploit the complete range of cost reduction potential. Special visualisation software enables central monitoring and switching of the complete system, and rows of shelves can be dimmed and controlled in groups. This is not a luxury but a practical tool, an understandable fact with regard to the complete surface area of almost 90,000 square metres with 135,000 pallet spaces.

Easy maintenance was also a further point for Geobra Brandstetter GmbH & Co.KG (the name of the Playmobil shareholders) specifying the E-Line from TRILUX. "The flat, sealed surface of the optic makes the trunking system less sensitive to soiling," explained Klaas Keur, Product Manager at TRILUX. But even if the optic does get dirty, it can be easily cleaned. Combined with the long service life of more than 50,000 operating hours (for the LED version) with almost continuously high luminous efficacy (L80/B10), maintenance is reduced to a minimum.

With implementation of the project, TRILUX proved just how simple and flexible the handling of light can be on the customer side. Despite changing the product and a corresponding modification in planning, two thirds of the 5,200 E-Line luminaires were supplied to Playmobil within a period only three months – a good example of how TRILUX is implementing its new corporate philosophy of "Simplify Your Light".