The project started this summer at the Joensuu and Savonlinna mills, and it will continue with the Pellos mills in 2022 and with the Kalso veneer mill in 2023. The upgrade will focus on the production facilities, but lighting will also be improved in the warehouses in active use and in the Pellos mill area, including outdoor lighting.
Current lighting will be replaced by LED lights. The new lighting level will be 500 lux in the production areas, 300 lux in warehouses and 50 lux in the outdoor areas. Before the upgrade, the average lighting level was within a range of 150-200 lux. The improvement will be significant.
"In addition to the illumination levels, the uniformity and quality of the light is important," says Janne Hämäläinen, who is responsible for the project.
"The lights now reach all of the room uniformly, and there are no longer any blind spots," says Jari Rouvinen, an operator and shop steward at the Savonlinna plywood factory.
"The upgrade has definitely improved both work safety, as well as the smoothness and comfort of the work. Wood dust and coating residues on the floor are now easier to see when moving around, and the LED lights installed at the workstations make it easier to work at all workstations," says Rouvinen.
In addition to improving working conditions, the new LED technology consumes 60-80% less electricity than the old light bulbs and fluorescent tubes. The technology also produces less waste heat in the surrounding space due to its higher efficiency, which contributes to reducing the extra heat load in factory halls in the summer heat.