CASE STUDY
Wesco and VM5 provided hazardous location LED lighting engineered for extreme heat, reducing failures and improving safety at a pulp and paper mill.
Challenge
A large industrial pulp and paper manufacturer experienced frequent lighting failures in dryer and high bay areas operating 24/7 at ambient temperatures near 225°F. The facility’s existing incandescent, halogen and LED fixtures were not designed for sustained extreme heat, causing them to fail within months. This created inconsistent and unsafe light levels, increased maintenance labor and exposure in hazardous areas, and limited the ability to replace fixtures outside scheduled shutdowns. The company needed a compliant, high-temperature lighting solution that improved safety and reliability while reducing maintenance and total cost of ownership.
Solution
The company partnered with Wesco to design an industrial LED lighting solution engineered for extreme heat and hazardous environments. Leveraging proven hazardous location LED lighting expertise and application engineering capabilities, Wesco helped ensure that the fixtures aligned with required classifications, environmental conditions and audit expectations. Wesco’s approach streamlined the process for the company by simplifying specifications, standardizing SKUs, providing audit-ready documentation to support inspections, and enabling coordination across suppliers, logistics and implementation planning.
Wesco selected VM5 Lighting Solutions as a strategic partner for the project and deployed VM5 H2L high‑temperature LED fixtures. Using driverless, direct AC chip‑on‑board technology, the fixtures were designed to operate reliably from 116°F to 239°F. The solution delivered consistent light output at extreme temperatures, reduced total darkness risk and featured a higher lumen output than legacy fixtures.
Summary
- Reliable lighting at ambient temperatures near 225°F
- Fewer fixture failures and maintenance interventions
- Improved visibility and worker safety
- Projected savings of $500,000 over five years
- 2,716 kWh energy reduction in year one
- Over 1,000,000 kWh energy reduction projected over five years
- 85% reduction in lighting waste sent to landfills
Results
The new industrial LED lighting solution significantly reduced fixture failures and maintenance interventions while improving visibility and worker safety. The company minimized shutdown‑related lighting risks, reduced exposure in hazardous areas and lowered total cost of ownership. Projected savings in high bay applications approach $500,000 over five years, with additional benefits including reduced energy use, fewer replacement parts, simplified inventory management and an estimated 85 percent reduction in lighting waste sent to landfills.
