Formerly OXEA, OQ Chemicals is a global producer of over 70 oxo chemical solvent products used in coatings, lubricants, sunscreens, cosmetics, printing inks and more. Its Bishop, Texas facility, located just outside of Corpus Christi, is a derivative production facility and one of three OQ U.S. operations.
The facility has undergone a massive digitalization and sustainability upgrade to improve productivity and control costs. As part of the program, Bishop’s Senior Instrument & Electrical Specialist Marcus Rubio began looking at the facility’s assortment of lighting as a potential opportunity.
Miscellaneous Lighting = Maintenance Nightmare – “When I came here in 2013 from our Bay City site, I noticed that we had about seven different types of lights in use—everything from metal halides and high-pressure sodium to fluorescent, incandescent and even mercury vapor,” Rubio said.
The problem with this smattering of fixtures was the overwhelming maintenance. Not only did it require procuring and storing an extremely wide range of delicate bulbs and ballasts, but it was a never-ending chore that very often required crews to erect scaffolding, sometimes just to reach a single fixture. That process turned a simple bulb change into a day-and-a-half long affair—for each fixture.
“We had a 2-3 person relamping crew in Bay City, and that’s all they did. As soon as they made their way through the plant, they’d just start over again. It was a huge waste of time and costly.”
Dialight Outshines the Competition – During his 25 years at the Bay City plant, Rubio had installed some first-generation Dialight LED High Bay fixtures. He’d been impressed with the heavy-duty, industrial-grade craftsmanship of the fixtures and the quality of light, so he reached out to the Dialight rep for some information.
Over the past seven years, the Bishop facility has since retrofitted some 226 area light fixtures with Dialight products, including 24 flood lights, 48 linears, and six high bays. And, the company has just purchased six of the latest Dialight Reliant High Bays to replace the overhead fluorescent fixtures in its welding shop, which are at significant risk of being damaged by the pipe and conduit typically handled there. Rubio estimates the Bishop site will be fully converted by 2022.
“People have been so amazed with the improved visibility and safety in our facility, and I’ve been recommending the Dialight product to everyone,” Rubio said. “LED lighting is the future of safe, efficient industrial lighting and Dialight is at the top of the class.”
