Brazil's Frimesa Cooperative Achieves 70% Fresh Energy Savings in Cold Storage 

Albeo™ LED fixtures from Current offer low maintenance and high efficiency. 

THE SITUATION

Frimesa has been providing high-quality food products throughout Brazil for over 35 years, and getting that food into the homes of Brazilians is no small task. At the company’s central operations hub in Medianeira, management is continually seeking new technologies to improve efficiencies to better deliver products to its customers. So, after carrying out several lighting studies with its local energy distributor, Frimesa zeroed in on a cost-effective way to bring in dramatic new energy savings: LED lighting in refrigerated areas.

THE SOLUTION

Prior to partnering with Current, Frimesa had utilized 400W metal vapor lamps. Made of glass, with a polycarbonate cover, these lamps not only proved tremendously difficult to maintain—they were also especially problematic in Frimesa’s cold-storage areas, as they generated inordinate amounts of heat. Fortunately, Frimesa found a long-term solution after they installed 168 Albeo™ 125W LED fixtures from Current. Unlike the previous lamps that were made out of glass, these fixtures were created with polycarbonate lenses and came equipped with heat-dissipation technology ideal for refrigerated environments. These changes were just what Frimesa needed to bring about drastic energy savings.  

Albeo fixtures were installed in four cold chambers in different areas at differing temperatures, totaling nearly 5,000 square meters with alternating temperatures between -25 C to 0 C. "It was a challenging project, but we succeeded to fill Frimesa’s needs," said Alexandre Ferrari, general manager, Current Brazil. “The luminosity of the new LED system is high, bringing dramatic efficiency with low need for regular maintenance. And it’s not just Frimesa—lighting is without a doubt a critical factor for the optimization of industrial environments." 

"We decided upon LED because we are always seeking the most advanced technologies for our processes. Current’s Albeo solution meets all the intrinsic needs of the food industry — luminous flow, adequate cost and great efficiency."

OPERATING IMPACT 

• Dramatically improved lighting capability across nearly 5,000 square meters of cold storage
• Diminished maintenance needs over previously installed metal vapor lamps 

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT 

• A long-term solution with 100,000-hour life of Albeo fixtures 
• A 70% reduction in annual energy costs 

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