Dycore takes lighting to the next level
Improved visibility enhances safety and work comfort
Precast concrete flooring systems for residential and non-residential construction. At Dycore they know all about it. Adequate lighting in both production and transferring of these floors is essential. Safety comes first, closely followed by the avoidance of damage. Jos de Laat, head of the Technical Department at Dycore Breda, explains that as a specialist they like to focus exclusively on concrete floors, with other affairs being regularly outsourced. “For our lighting, I rely on itsme’s specialism.”
“Here in Breda, we have a team of 45 people working on wide slab floors. These semi-finished products consist of a concrete shell with reinforcement. It’s not until the slabs are in place at the construction site that a concrete end layer is poured onto them”, Jos explains. Note: we are talking concrete floor parts here of 10 x 3 metres and a height of up to 30 centimetres.
It requires a gigantic 30-ton fork lift to relocate these concrete slabs to the stacking field, where all products are awaiting transport. The slabs are accurately positioned on truck trailers, obviously without hitting anything. Moreover, the stacking field can be quite hectic with heavy transport coming and going and people walking around the vehicles. This makes good visibility essential. During daytime, things worked out fine but when darkness fell, it all became a different story.
A lighting solution for every application
Around that same period, itsme installed a number of test fixtures in the Dycore production hall because the lighting there also required renewal. Jan Straetemans, lighting specialist itsme, advised to double the lighting level from 25 to 50 lux, based on a lighting plan. For the technical workshop he even recommended 500 lux, suiting the fine-mechanical work which involves small bearings and screws. It was also Jan who suggested the use of lamps with a colour temperature of 5000 K. “It’s whiter and it’s closer to natural daylight. We tested several wattages and it actually did turn out to be more comfortable to work with”, says Jos.
“For our lighting, I rely on itsme’s specialism”
And so, it didn’t take much to convince Jos when Han Elsen, account manager at itsme, suggested to involve itsme Lighting Technology in the stacking field lighting project. Jos: “The indoor lighting project was running smoothly so I was pretty confident that this would also turn out fine.”
The outdoor area, however, posed an extra challenge. “Supplying the materials is one thing”, Han says. “You’re also facing a complete infrastructure though: the wiring and all the cabinets that need to be installed inside the lighting masts. We don’t have that expertise available ourselves.” For Dycore, however, it would mean a major advantage to keep everything central with one company taking on the entire project. Jos: “If you are working on a project with several companies, something is always bound to fall between the cracks. I prefer working with a single party.” That is why itsme appealed to their own network, ending up at Hans Eek Infrawerken from Rossum. They had collaborated with this customer before and, more importantly, they were one of the few parties having experience with the exceptionally high masts of 18 metres, where 10 to 12 metres is pretty much the standard. 
“It’s like working in daylight”
Dycore asked itsme to provide the entire stacking field with a lighting level of 50 lux, in line with the standard that applies to the kind of work which is being carried out there. Jan designed a lighting plan for that purpose, mapping out all light points in 3D. By moving, adding or removing them, he calculated the effects of certain investments. Colours graphically indicated the minimum and maximum lighting level. They also showed how to achieve an optimal light output at the lowest possible costs. This resulted in 11 new led fixtures with asymmetrical light distribution.
Team efforts
After Hans Eek Infrawerken had attached the fixtures to the masts, they had to adjust the fixtures.
Normally, this is done by testing on-site. However, given the fact that Jan was familiar with all lamp specifications and had also calculated the effects in his lighting plan, he was able to provide instant, specific advice. To set the fixtures slightly flatter, for instance, preventing the light from shining in people’s eyes. Or to tilt them at a certain angle, creating an optimal light distribution on the floor. An additional service to Dycore for which he gladly returned. Jan says enthusiastically: “When the fixtures are being installed, there’s actually nothing much I can do. But I find it super interesting to come and see and assist Hans Eek in aligning those fixtures. This way, we as itsme, stay closely involved in the project.”
“Afterwards, I spoke to an employee working on the stacking field”, Han says. “He told me that the situation improved tremendously in terms of safety and work pleasure. You no longer have to be afraid of tripping over something in the dark, you can read all the labels on the floor slabs without secondary lighting.” The new lighting didn’t go entirely unnoticed in the surrounding area either. Jos laughs: “People sometimes joke that we moved the Breda football stadium to the Dycore stacking field. It really is a massive light source, it’s almost like working in daylight.” 
Long lifecycle with led
Dycore is part of Irish company CRH, which is globally represented by 79,000 employees, mainly in the construction industry. Dycore first established itself in Oosterhout, followed by branches in Lelystad and Breda; at each location specific types of concrete floors are manufactured. Their history goes back to 1975. Back in those days, with gas-discharge lamps still being mainstream, light intensity started to decrease after 4 years. For the illumination of the stacking field, Dycore opted for Philips led fixtures. The project concerned 4 new light masts with a height of 18 metres, containing 2 led fixtures of 1314 watts each. 2 existing masts, measuring 18 metres as well, were provided with a total of 3 led fixtures of 1314 watts. All in all, it would involve quite a job to replace all lamps. However, based on 3600 burning hours annually, replacement doesn’t have to be scheduled within the coming 30 to 40 years.