DORNBIRN, AUSTRIA – With 14 locations, Swiss Helicopter AG is Switzerland’s leading helicopter company. As well as classic transport and passenger flights, Swiss Helicopter also offers sightseeing flights, which give customers the chance to experience the Swiss alpine landscape from above. Above all, Swiss Helicopter stands for Swiss precision. In order to stay true to the company’s mission, the Bern-Belp site has decided to modernize the lighting in its hangar. The new lighting solution should help take some of the strain out of the challenging work employees carry out on the machines, as well as providing them with improved visibility and therefore higher levels of safety. To make the lighting renovation as straightforward as possible, Swiss Helicopter AG opted for the NOW light contracting service offered by ZGS. As part of a flexible service contract, ZGS will fully cater to Swiss Helicopter’s lighting requirements for a fixed monthly rate. The helicopter company will therefore continue to benefit from the latest lighting technology, including all installation and maintenance tasks, for the duration of the contract.
The aim of the upgrade was to provide more light in the almost-650-square-metre hangar and to distribute it in the best way possible for the work carried out on the helicopters. The 6.75-metre-high ceilings posed something of a challenge here. However, it wasn’t just the height that proved problematic: during planning, ZGS also had to take into account the ceiling-mounted crane track used to lift heavier machine parts from A to B. ZGS carried out a lighting assessment to determine where new lighting should be installed. The optimised solution enables higher illuminance with less level of power (3192 kW and 550 lux instead of 6887 kW and 280 lux). The solution uses the proven TECTON C industrial luminaire by Zumtobel, as well as a light control unit for improved ease of operation.
“We opted for the NOW concept from Zumtobel Group Services, because this not only gives us modern and improved lighting in our hangar, but also the long-term support of an expert partner. A partner that will take care of the upgrade in its entirety and guarantee us ideal lighting conditions in the years to come”, says Markus Epp, Head of the Base in Belp, about the decision in favour of ZGS.
From planning to project management through to after sales service and annual maintenance, ZGS has taken on all tasks relating to the upgrade and will act as general contractor. The lighting solution will be monitored by way of regular inspections to ensure it continues to operate in line with the agreed service during the contract term of 36 months. There is also a further bonus for the helicopter base: thanks to the exchange of the inefficient, old light sources, Zumtobel Group Services calculated that the customer would also benefit from incentives amounting to CHF 3000. The potential savings determined during the planning phase were sufficient to obtain approval for the Optimo Plus 2015 programme as part of the “ProKilowatt” incentive initiative run by the Swiss federal government.
For further information please visit: www.zgservices.com.
