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LEDs in garment units saves energy & boosts profit: Report
04 Nov '14
2 min read
Using Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) in garment and apparel factories will help in saving energy and also increase the productivity and profits, according to a new report by the University of Michigan.
LEDs create less heat than traditional lights, so they help keep factory floors cooler. According to a study conducted on 25 garment factories in Bangalore, India, from 2010 to 2013, when workers are more comfortable, they produce more and are less likely to be absent for work.
The garment factories in the study were not air conditioned and had hundreds of people working on machines that ran constantly in buildings with multiple stories. Similar work conditions are found in Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Vietnam and other major exporters in the US$ 200 billion worth apparel industry.
Due to changes in the climatic conditions, finding ways to keep factories cooler will become increasingly challenging for businesses in developing countries, which on average are hotter than developed nations, the report said.
The researchers studied the staggered rollout of LED lights in the factories for over four years. It was found that LEDs cost about $6,300 to install, and the energy savings was about $3,000 per year with an increase of $41 per operating day for each factory, or nearly $13,000 per factory per year.
Achyuta Adhvaryu, an assistant professor at the University of the Michigan Ross School of Business and one of the study’s authors, said, “Heat stress stops the body’s capacity to exert, so workers are less able to complete production targets.”
LEDs create a productivity gain that dwarfs the energy savings, he added. (GK)
LEDs create less heat than traditional lights, so they help keep factory floors cooler. According to a study conducted on 25 garment factories in Bangalore, India, from 2010 to 2013, when workers are more comfortable, they produce more and are less likely to be absent for work.
The garment factories in the study were not air conditioned and had hundreds of people working on machines that ran constantly in buildings with multiple stories. Similar work conditions are found in Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Vietnam and other major exporters in the US$ 200 billion worth apparel industry.
Due to changes in the climatic conditions, finding ways to keep factories cooler will become increasingly challenging for businesses in developing countries, which on average are hotter than developed nations, the report said.
The researchers studied the staggered rollout of LED lights in the factories for over four years. It was found that LEDs cost about $6,300 to install, and the energy savings was about $3,000 per year with an increase of $41 per operating day for each factory, or nearly $13,000 per factory per year.
Achyuta Adhvaryu, an assistant professor at the University of the Michigan Ross School of Business and one of the study’s authors, said, “Heat stress stops the body’s capacity to exert, so workers are less able to complete production targets.”
LEDs create a productivity gain that dwarfs the energy savings, he added. (GK)
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