Author: duraadmin

We had our tongues somewhat in cheek in describing this topic under the acronym of PESTS, but it seemed to be appropriate for us in the food industry, don’t you think? We all know what a constant battle we wage against pests…so we figured that this acronym would be something that would stick…and that, incidentally, is a simple key to making some of these actions really have an effect… get the concepts to stick with people! So, on to our list of:

Actions to take on PESTS that will increase your profit margins… Productivity gains; Energy reductions; Safe workplaces; Temperature-load reductions; Sustainability

Every owner/manager everywhere probably harbours the desire to increase Productivity, but with the huge amount of information available on the topic, it may be difficult to decide what to focus on. Well really, the fact is that we can’t do too many things at once anyway, so the important decision to be made is: just focus on 1 or 2 areas to start with, & do them thoroughly! (Interestingly, a quick Google search on this topic shows the #1 tip for (personal) productivity from both ‘Lifehack’ & ‘OPENforum’ is “Have a single-purpose focus”)

1. Challenge your staff to get a personal APP! – Apply themselves Primarily to be Productive

Regarding the subject of reducing Energy usage, we could not be any more helpful to those in this industry than to refer to a very applicable case study on exactly this in mid-2013. You can review it here: https://sclaa.com.au/energy-efficiency/assets/pdfs/AIRAH_cold_storage_casestudy.pdf This is a somewhat exhaustive document – & includes considerable capital expenditure, etc – but there are likely gains to be made in the implementation of any of these findings. We all are aware of the ever-rising cost of power, & it is our firm belief that the real gains to be made in this direction, is in the smarter use of energy. ie. reducing the amount of energy required to do the same work! In this vein then, we should:

Encourage everyone to SAVE! (the E is for energy!)

2. Shelter from the sun – where possible, the shed walls & windows should be shaded. Equipment – especially that for refrigeration – should be sheltered. Often shadecloth is as good as any for this – especially for equipment, because it allows for full air movement also

3. Adjust door seals to reduce cold air loss

4. Ventilate all refrigeration units properly! (Just as it is hard to breathe through a paper bag, an a/c unit must also have plenty of airflow to work properly)

Another topic that should never be out of a manager’s mind, is that of the demands of Safe workplaces. What is very well proved is that a safe workplace is better in every way than an unsafe one… it attracts better staff, is more productive & efficient, is a better investment, is simply a better ‘place to be’! What is sometimes overlooked by managers, is that a workplace with an uncompromising attitude to safety, is a lower risk workplace, & therefore can enjoy lower insurance premiums…

5. Make safety a mandatory principle, & your margins will be better!

Well the next element – reducing Temperature loads – is a real ‘hot’ subject! …especially since we are all about trying to keep things cool or cold! It should be very obvious that anything at all that produces or radiates heat-energy, is ‘taboo’ inside a coolroom! The most obvious offender in this regard of course, is the light sources. What is critically needed in these situations is a light source that does not emit any heat energy. The best candidate for this application of course is the new generation LED lights. In the case study referred to above, this option is particularly noted for a rapid ROI. It is truly remarkable just how good some of these lights are now. With virtually no heat energy produced, & a greatly reduced energy consumption in operation, it would seem that this is a very attractive & rapid way to increase margins.

6. Trial some of the latest generation LED lights & watch the margins increase (as the costs go down!)

Lastly, establish a culture of TLC! It is well known to any manager, that if change is to be Sustainable, it must become a habit…& often this is as simple as getting the methodology to stick!

7. Turn off equipment when not in use

8. switch off Lights when not needed

9. Close doors & windows whenever possible
To sum this up, we really believe that everybody in every department of every organisation can do something to increase profit margins! The key is ‘to do something’. A very wise piece of counsel that we have heard is: ‘pick a number & manage it’…ie. just review 1 metric & make myself accountable for it – watch it, improve it, report on it…

If you want some more information on any of these topics, pls be free to reach out to us at sales@leitech.com.au or browse www.leitech.com.au

We could even provide some graphics for you on these catch-phrases if you like them! BTW, if you have any comments on anything herein, we would love to hear from you! Comment on this article here

A. APP – get a personal APP!
B. SAVE – look for every way to SAVE!
C. TLC – establish a culture of TLC!

Energy-efficient and long-lasting, LED floodlights are ideal for business locations. But before you order multiple commercial or industrial LED floodlights, it’s best to know which specifications and features you should look for to make sure you get value for your money.

First things first, figure out the intended use for floodlights. A 500W LED floodlight may be too much if you’re only going to use it as an accent light to increase the curb appeal of your restaurant.

Why Do You Need LED Flood lights?

If you want to create a specific atmosphere for accent or event lighting, you may need layers. You may have to combine 10Watt RGB LED floodlights with 50 or 100Watt RGB LED floodlights. For wall washing, choose a spread lens as it disperses the beam out from the centre spot while giving the light soft edges.
For outdoor security, you need bright lights with wide coverage that are reactionary. Install LED floodlights with more lumens and combine them with motion sensors for bright, effective security lighting. Also, look for products with heavy-duty mounting bracket as they can withstand rugged conditions.

Which Specifications to Look for Regardless of Application?

No matter the application, it’s recommended to look for the following specifications and features to ensure you’re buying energy-efficient, durable and effective LED floodlights for your commercial facility:

• High luminous efficiency
  While wattage measures the amount of energy light products consume, lumens measure the amount of light they produce. The more lumens floodlights have, the brighter they are. Also, check luminous efficiency or lumens-per-watt ratio, which tells how much light you get for a given amount of energy.
• Quality LED chips
  The LED chip is a core component of LED, converting electrical energy into light. Look for LED floodlights with SMD chips (or a combination of SMD and COB chips). SMD chips have multiple diodes, so they last longer and produce a more intense beam of light than COB chips. But COB chips have better lumens-per-watt ratio and heat efficiency. That’s why LED lights with a combination of both chips are a great choice.
• Good heat dissipation
  For exterior floodlights, you need products that are durable and weatherproof but can dissipate heat quickly. Look for LED floodlights with light and hollow housing that actively promotes heat dissipation. Those enclosed in high-quality aluminium housing also offers maximum heat dissipation efficiency.
• Right beam angle
  Do you want a focused light or something that covers your entire warehouse or shop exterior? For wider spaces, opt for LED floodlights that offer a 120-degree or even a slightly wider angle. But be careful not to get a floodlight extremely wide beam angle because although it gives uniform illumination, it tends to have low ground brightness.

With these buying considerations, you can narrow down your options and get LED floodlights that aren’t only energy-efficient, durable and well-designed but also suit your specific application. For more tips on getting the right lighting for your commercial locations, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Dura Vision Lighting Australia.

For 10 long years after his employer ordered him to give up, Shuji Nakamura toiled away on his own, single-mindedly pursuing his dream of achieving a bright blue light from an LED… It had to be blue, because red and green had been around for decades, and he realised “with adding the blue, you could have all the primary colors and thereby the entire palette”.

Nakamura had graduated from the University of Tokushima in 1977 with a degree in electronic engineering, and a master’s degree in the same subject two years later. Two other scientists, Isamu Akasaki and Hiroshi Amano, had contributed to the progress of LED technology when they invented their dim blue light-emitting diodes. Then they moved on, went separate ways, but Shuji Nakamura wouldn’t give up.

In 1993, Nakamura finally cracked the fabrication challenges to get the first high brightness gallium nitride (GaN) LED that was commercially viable. He went on to partially convert it to yellow by a phosphor coating, and it became the key to white LED lighting, which went into production in 1993.

After successfully manufacturing these white LEDs in 1994, Nichia went on to develop commercialized green LEDs the following year, and laser diodes (LD) in 1999.

The company was reported to have only given Nakamura $180 for his blue GaN LED invention, so he left the company and went to the USA.
After Nakamura left Nichia in 1999 he sued them claiming that he had not been adequately compensated for his role in helping the company to become the world’s leading supplier of blue and white LEDs, as well as the violet lasers that are used in next-generation DVD systems. During his tenure at Nichia, Nakamura filed a huge number of patents relating to all aspects of nitride LED technology.

The three scientists received the Nobel Prize in Physics on 7 October 2014 for their priceless efforts. The Nobel Prize committee cited the development of the blue LED as leading to a new, more efficient, and environmentally friendly way “to illuminate the world.”
Frances Saunders, president of Britain’s Institute of Physics, said the shift to LED offered the potential for huge energy savings. “With 20% of the world’s electricity used for lighting, it’s been calculated that optimal use of LED lighting could reduce this to 4 percent. Akasaki, Amano and Nakamura’s research has made this possible and this prize recognises this contribution,” she said.

LEDs, often referred to under Solid State Lighting, are constantly improving in efficiency, with higher luminous flux (lumens) per unit electrical input power (watts). In 2015 experimental LED’s had achieved over 300 lumens per watt, which can be compared to 16 lumens for regular light bulbs and close to 70 lumens for fluorescent lamps.

The western world has long since forgotten the way it transformed after the “electric light’ became so widely available following Edison’s invention in 1879, and his famous boast, “We will make electricity so cheap that only the rich will burn candles.”

But now LED lighting also holds similar great promise for the 1.5 billion people around the world who lack access to electricity grids: due to low DC power required, LED can be run by solar powered systems.

And so LEDs continue to make a massive contribution to saving the Earth’s resources and elevating the living standards of future generations.

Foreign matter can come from many different places within your food business. Controlling this issue is everyone’s aim, but you have to know where potential sources of contamination still exist.

WHAT’S THE OVERHEAD LIGHT RISK RATING?

Overhead lights have traditionally been made of several different components including glass, plastic, and metal. All of which are considered “foreign matter” if they end up in your product! Light globes can shatter, hard plastic covers can crack and grow bacteria, and metal parts can even fall off. Even changing failed or under-performing light globes can present these risks (apart from usually involving a shutdown or temporary interruption to the line). So let’s take…

A NEW LOOK AT OLD OVERHEAD LIGHTS

Take a walk around your controlled environment facility and see if any of the lighting is a potential source of contamination. Any build-up of insects, dirt, or grime in the light fittings and covers, or the corners where they contact the ceiling? This is probably a HACCP audit you’ve done before.

Hard to get at for the maintenance team? Because today, “hard to get at” means “very expensive to maintain.” It may involve mobile scaffolding or work platforms, height safety issues, scheduled shutdowns, isolation of the area, and a pretty thorough cleanup afterward. We no longer have time.

ARE THEY REALLY IN THE RIGHT PLACE?

Ever wished this spot was brighter, or that shadow would go away? Now there are NSF-approved lights that bring easy solutions to all that too.

AND FINALLY, ARE THEY ENERGY EFFICIENT?

Lighting is important in a production area for quality, safety, speed, and reducing strain. LED lighting has transformed the options available in meeting all these criteria in one of the most challenging industries there is. Energy is having more and more impact on the bottom line.

Why not get an assessment on making your lighting energy efficient, maintenance-free, and ideal for processing quality, safety, and speed?

What would that do to your bottom line?

“Given the energy cost increases that are coming through right now, we’re trying to outrun a bear, and I’m not sure we can.”

That’s the graphic description, given by Mr. Brad Banducci recently, of the challenges facing the food and beverage sector. Rising energy costs continue to impact business. A recent survey by the Australian Meat Industry Council showed that energy costs were an average of 30% higher in 2016 compared to costs in 2010.

And rising.

Mr. Banducci, the Woolworths CEO, was quoted recently in the Financial Review as saying, “We manage what we can manage with energy efficiency. But given the energy cost increases that are coming through right now, we’re trying to outrun a bear, and I’m not sure we can.”

Harry Debney, chief executive of the nation’s biggest fruit and vegetable producer, Costa Group, told the Global Food Forum news in Melbourne at the end of March that he was seeing a 20% cost increase to his operations as a result of soaring power costs.

Other Major Concerns

“But the biggest concern we have got is actually continuity of supply,” he said. “We have just spent $2 million at our mushroom plant outside Melbourne to put in back-up generators! It’s a pretty sad situation when companies like us have to spend money just on the off-chance we lose power. That is not a productive use of capital.”

Certainly not! But if you were forced to produce your own electricity, wouldn’t it make you so much more particular about how much electricity got used?

And not many small to medium businesses are better than Woolworths or Costa Group at outrunning bears! What to do?

The good news is, it’s now easier than ever to make that all-important thorough assessment of your energy usage, and then look at ways it can be minimized.

Lighting contributes to energy consumption, productivity, safety, security, and maintenance. When assessing lighting energy usage, it’s important to look for other improvement opportunities. Planning around all the areas light can impact, and including cost inputs like maintenance, installation, overhead contamination risks, and so on will help offset energy costs too.

Creative approaches are needed to coordinate the power of LED solutions to beat the rising cost of energy.

When it comes to the food and beverage industry especially, suitable LEDs have many advantages over legacy lighting technologies.
There are obvious benefits, such as no glass or other breakable materials and no toxic mercury that could fall and contaminate food products, but there are also higher efficacies, programmable dimmability, DALI control, motion activation, instant-on performance, and lower power usage. All these add up to major improvements in lighting performance.

Woolworths and other major corporations employ energy management specialists to implement strategies around all these advantages, particularly in the lighting component of their facilities.

In the controlled environments of most food processing plants, LED lighting also has the benefit of very long life. Your warehouse may not be temperature-controlled, but at the low temperatures of cold storage facilities, LED life is extended exponentially. Any facility consistently maintained at under 30°C will achieve results in the vicinity of 70,000 hours.

Even at 24/7 operation, that equates to over 8 years before you pay someone to get up there again and touch it.

Maintenance and Reliability

Servicing overhead fixtures and services involves a range of cost issues. There’s more to lighting costs than the power they consume. In many facilities, there are considerable obstacles to lighting maintenance; access can be challenging, yet lighting is an auditable item.

Lux levels for various areas of a facility are given in USA Standards, and maybe you’ll want to know how your facility measures up!

With LED lighting solutions, you have the advantage of knowing that, if you’re going to pay Maintenance to get up there and attend to that light, it’ll be the last time for years and years.

A complete strategy around rising energy costs helps deliver certainty in the outcome!

Bear chasing man: Can we outrun energy cost increases?

How to Compare the Lifespan of LED Lights

A major benefit of LED lighting, apart from the massive energy saving, is its long lifespan.

How Long?

A high-quality LED high bay, dimmable LED batten, or floodlight has zero maintenance costs for the term of its working life, and this has major implications for maintenance planning in production facilities.
When you buy LED lighting, you need to know how long its effective life is, and this is where the L70 standard comes in.
All aspects of a building must meet the standards set by authorities, and lighting is no exception. If a workspace isn’t sufficiently lit, it could be hazardous to people. So, the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) establishes standards to promote safety and quality in the lighting industry.
An LED’s efficiency can be measured by lumen maintenance, and L70 is one of the standards set by the IES.

Here’s What the L70 Rating Means

Lumen maintenance measures the light produced by a light source when it’s brand new. The light source’s “brand new” light output is then compared with its future light output. So, a light source which emits 1,000 lumens when new and 700 lumens after 50,000 hours of use at an average ambient temperature, has a lumen maintenance of 70% at 50,000 hours.
In other words, it has an L70 of 50,000 hours. While other lumen maintenance ratings exist, L70 is now the most widely used. Why? Because the human eye generally can’t detect the difference in a light’s output until it’s down to around 70% of the original brightness.
So how many years will they last in the average warehouse or production facility?

To put it in perspective, if your L70-rated warehouse lighting is used for 10 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 50 weeks in a year, it will last 20 years; that’s 50,000 hours to decay to 70% of its brand-new brightness.

At that point, the lights may still be working, but their output is only 70% of the light they emitted when new! That’s what an L70 rating tells you.

What Are the Factors That Can Affect the Lifespan of LED Lights?

You might have already invested in a specialty high bay light or dimmable LED batten, which is a wise decision. But the lifespan of LED lights may be cut short if you don’t anticipate the following factors:

Environment and Heat Management

LEDs might overheat if the ambient temperature is unusually high or there is little airflow around the metal heat sink. Heat will also become a problem if heat sinks do not have the appropriate design (e.g., the heat sink may lack the right surface area or the gaps between its fins can’t facilitate enough airflow). Ensure optimal airflow and manage the heat around the LED.

Electronics

Due to the more complex design of LEDs, different electronic components like electrolytic capacitors need to be of reliable quality. Consider getting LEDs with ceramic capacitors, which can last much longer than those made from plastic.

LED Fitting

Compact fittings like Edison or MR16 house several electronic components in a small space, which may give rise to thermal management issues. So, carefully consider fitting type when choosing LEDs. Those with external drivers can better manage heat buildup.

Technological Advancement – You might need to Upgrading to more efficient lighting may be needed in the future as technology evolves. Although LEDs are the gold standard now, a new lighting technology could emerge.

In Summary

The L70 rating system highlights the efficiency and longevity of LEDs. Factors like heat, electronics composition, and fitting type can impact LED lifespan.

When planning a lighting upgrade or facility extension, check the L70 ratings and luminaire warranty to maximise energy efficiency and reduce maintenance needs!

It’s also important to find a lighting contractor that can provide solutions lasting over 50,000 hours for a strong return on investment.

Here at Dura Vision Lighting, that’s exactly what we do. Call us at +1300 466 088 or email us at sales@leitech.com.au to learn more about our lighting solutions.

Is the Rising Popularity of Meal Kits a Food Processor’s Opportunity or Threat?

Meal kit delivery services were invented by Kicki Theander in 2007 in Sweden. Her company Middagsfrid (Dinner Peace, in English) was the world’s first meal kit company. The concept involved delivering pre-portioned ingredients for a number of meals every week, where customers use only the ingredients and the provided recipes to create a home-cooked meal.

The concept quickly exploded, and in 2015, Goldman Sachs research expected the meal kit industry to grow to between $3 billion and $5 billion by 2020.

What Challenges Does the Sudden Popularity in the Meal Kit Market Hold for Logistics in the Food Processing Industry?

1. Quality: With fresh produce, meal kit delivery companies rely on efficiency more than ever. They simply cannot afford to deliver food late or under par. Convenience is key—if meals cannot be delivered on time, when scheduled, then the main reason the customer subscribed to the service in the first place disappears. To succeed, meal kit delivery services should remove the need for customers to visit the supermarket; otherwise, why subscribe to this service at all?
2. Loyalty: Loyalty runs hand-in-hand with quality and service, as fresh products delivered on time, coupled with excellent service, usually equate to a great user experience. This can gain customer loyalty, though excellent recipe instructions are also essential!
3. Responsibility: Every food producer or processor has responsibility for ensuring their product meets all standards. Nowadays, with instant social communication, feedback, and reviews, a customer can instantly voice their dissatisfaction if a brand fails to deliver as promised. This requires processors, manufacturers, and logistics divisions to work seamlessly together, considering the impact of every step on the user experience.
4. Service: For any subscription-based business, great customer service is key to success. If service falls short, plenty of competitors are ready to take up the challenge. The last step, often the most memorable to the customer, is the face at the front door. It’s a missed opportunity to ensure satisfaction if the delivery experience is poor, even if every other part of the process was excellent.
5. Speed: Meal kits merge the food processor’s cleanrooms, the grocer’s storerooms, and the restaurant’s culinary flair, all wrapped around an online service that bridges the gap between shopping and meal provision. However, food processing standards must still apply.
6. Competition: The rise of third-party delivery services like UberEATS has disrupted the food delivery space, much like Uber and Airbnb reshaped taxi and hotel services. Many industry experts suggest that full-service restaurants may suffer from these third-party providers, as some believe that “foodservice outlets are now at the mercy of third-party delivery companies.” Yet others argue that services like UberEATS support full-service restaurants by enabling online home delivery of fully prepared meals—a market previously unavailable to them.

In 2015, there was a 118% growth in home delivery sales for full-service restaurants in the US, a trend expected to continue. Globally, over 170 meal kit businesses are operating, including niche providers.

• Meal kit delivery services generated over $1 billion in sales in 2015, with the US accounting for 40% of this.
• According to Technomic Research, meal kit subscribers are typically older millennials, equally split among genders, with 47% having a household income over $125,000 and 40% being parents.
• More than 150 meal kit delivery services operate in the United States.

Regulatory challenges are unprecedented in this space. The kitchen where final preparation occurs is often not subject to regulation or audit, nor is the transporting vehicle. Recently released 2016 data from CGA Peach shows that over half the British adult population has had a takeaway meal delivered in the last six months—about 28.6 million people!

A recent US-based article noted that millennials spend more on food outside the home than any other generation, averaging US$50.75 per week. Competition is emerging from angles unanticipated a few years ago, emphasizing the urgency of maximizing operational efficiency, minimizing costs, and reducing waste and energy consumption.

As Brad Banducci, Woolworths CEO, said, “What was quick a few years ago is no longer quick today.”

Why wait?

All smart business owners know the importance of finding ways to reduce costs, without reducing their effectiveness in any other area.

A large Power station in South Australia had old conventional flood lights serving as area and security lighting. Operating a large number of 3-phase 1000watt HPS floods was turning into an expensive exercise, and a maintenance nightmare. The flood lights were all mounted at a height of 34 meters and special equipment was required – about 10K worth of scaffolding hire – to change elements & etc. Age had also significantly reduced their efficiency and light output causing safety problems where maintenance workers operated in the switch yard below, where

More than adequate lighting was very important in this area for safety reasons, because there were high voltage lines and equipment throughout the yard.

Lighting was also needed for security reasons as it was strictly ‘authorized entry only’ area.

A solution was needed. The specifications called for high performance 3-phase flood lights with maximum ‘throw’, low maintenance and an extra-long service life guaranteed. The decision was simple: go LED.

So the old 1000 Watt HPS lights were simply replaced by 400 watt high-intensity LED Flood light from Dura Vision Lighting Australia.

Although not necessarily a concern for a power station with excess of power, energy consumption and costs were reduced 60%. Not only was this an enormous saving but the actual light on the ground increased, with less light ‘spill’ into the surrounding areas, providing greater safety and security benefits. Backed by a full 5-year warranty, these lights will certainly pay for themselves and their installation well inside the warranty period

Ask us today about ways you could improve your facilities with better light, in ways that will pay for themselves.

What you should look for in a lighting advisor is a challenging question.

When you begin to research lighting and lighting consultants, electrical contractors, architects maybe, or even other energy experts, you can use these check points to see if thy’re the lighting design partner that you want working with you on your new lighting project.

Assessing a lighting upgrade or installation, whether it’s for one facility, multiple facilities, or just a small section of the plant, can always benefit from having access to LED lighting solutions experts who are:

1. widely experienced in modern solid-state lighting options and capabilities,
2. knowledgeable about the impact lighting has on the productivity of the space, and
3. capable of applying the right solution for your industry.

To get the full potential out of a lighting project for your facility, in the 3-30-300 sense, there is much to consider. Your ROI will take more into account than just the energy consumption costings.

Here’s a check list of what to look for next time you need advice on lighting or lighting maintenance options:

• Broad experience.
  

  Your ideal lighting advisor should have a solid track record of helping clients achieve successful implementations of LED lighting solutions Remember there can be wide variations in the lighting levels required in different spaces.

  Apart from the lux levels, compliance issues for hygienic LED lighting and HACCP approvals can influence selections in significant ways. Installations must be tightly planned to avoid costly unforeseen disruptions to your processes.

• Approved Vendor status with corporations in your industry.
  

  There are great advantages in working with someone who has an intimate understanding of the way things work across the various segments of an industry. The food and beverage industry, for example, although widely diversified, has many recurring themes.

• Understands more that energy savings and reduced light fitting costs!
  

  Your ROI is also impacted by inputs from areas like maintenance, cleaning and warranty length. Then there’s sensors, and the opportunity for light as a platform for further data mapping. How installation interruptions (apart from the install costs,) will be allocated must be taken into consideration.

• Knows about much more than lighting!
  

  Lighting plays a huge role in fields like productivity, quality inspections, staff engagement, safety, security and facility presentation. The overall cost of ownership should be demonstrated to include more than energy consumption fixture costs and depreciation, so you can fully understand your project’s impact to the bottom line.

• Offers free design and audit reports.
  

  Lighting upgrades can have far-reaching implications, from the look, the light colour to the installation process and the return on investment. A good lighting advisor can help evaluate the lighting solution’s contribution to the business’s long term plans and the corporate responsibilities regarding energy compliance.

  So, we’ve highlighted what you’d want from an advisor or contractor, now, what are the red flags you need to spot?

• Uninterested in your Pain Points
  

  Watch out for a contractor who doesn’t accommodate your questions or doesn’t let you talk in-depth about the issues you’re experiencing. These contractors may only be interested in cookie-cutter solutions and as highlighted above, you need someone with the experience and knowledge to install a custom fit solution that will maximise your ROI.

• References are lacking or insubstantial.
  

  What are other industry peers or previous clients saying about this advisor? If you can’t verify the lighting contractor’s stated experience and expertise, you’re working in the dark, figuratively speaking.

  Make sure that contractors can provide enough credible references to match what they claim they can provide. The more you know about their working history, both positive and negative, the better position you’ll be in to weigh the pros and cons of working with them.

• Estimates are off the charts (in a bad way)!
  

  Initial discussions have gone well, but then the estimate comes in. The contractor has indicated materials or product options that are not what you may have expected from early consultations.

Take the example of commercial Led flood lights, is the contractor recommending the right solutions for your needs? If you’re prioritising energy efficiency and usage in driveways or gardens, the estimate shouldn’t be presenting you with heavy-duty and rugged applications that require an IP66 rating.

Take the Next Step

To request a free tailored, situation analysis and options proposals, contact our technical department on 1300 466 088 or visit www.leitech.com.au today.