Energy Efficiency, Industrial  -  January 8, 2019

FCA adds LED, cuts energy costs

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA US LLC) announced the installation of two intelligent lighting systems in two metro Detroit plants, which is expected to drive down energy costs by at least 50% and improve employee productivity by making the facilities responsive to the needs at each workspace.

"Making the move now to the most advanced LED lights with wireless control capabilities gives us the ability to track our real-time consumption and react, respond and customize our energy use quicker than ever before," said Kevin Dunbar, corporate energy manager at FCA US LLC in a statement. "LEDs also mimic natural light, which has shown to increase our employees' comfort and productivity. This transition is just one element that helps modernize our operations while also reducing our environmental footprint and operational costs."

The statement explained that FCA’s Jefferson North Assembly Plant and Warren Stamping Plant now feature sensor-based digital networks that create a smart building that runs on autopilot, reducing operating expenses and increasing business efficiencies for the operations teams.

The “FCA Bright Initiative,” launched in 2017, has added indoor and outdoor LED lighting solutions to 87 FCA dealerships, cutting each dealership’s total electricity costs by as much as 50%. Additionally, the company has retrofitted more than half of its manufacturing facilities and two distribution centers with LED fixtures. By 2020, FCA aims to achieve a 30 percent reduction in energy consumed per vehicle produced versus 2010 at mass-market vehicle assembly and stamping plants worldwide. By the end of 2017, FCA's energy consumption was down 24 percent compared with 2010.