Features Industrial
LEDs and wireless controls cut energy costs for FCA plants and dealerships

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) reports it has cut its lighting energy costs by more than 50% at 50-plus plants and dealerships across North America, including two in Canada, after deploying LEDs and wireless controls from Current by GE.

An assembly plant in Brampton, Ont., and a casting plant in nearby Toronto are among the facilities that have been upgraded, as is a flagship assembly plant in Sterling Heights, Mich., where special anti-glare lenses and extended power supplies were needed to address the scope of the 5 million-square-foot building.

While the energy-efficient benefits of LEDs are already well-known, FCA is also using wireless lighting controls to reduce costs further and to prepare for future industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) applications. Indeed, research and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan expects adoption rates of LEDs in industrial spaces to skyrocket from 3% just five years ago (2014) to 76% in 2020.

“From digital energy management systems that track real-time consumption data and allow for plant-level analysis to applications that could help with common industrial tasks like maintenance productivity and inventory management, companies like FCA are investing in flexible technology today that will help future-proof their operations tomorrow,” says Rudy Calderon, Current by GE’s general manager (GM) for the industrial market.