Van Meter's Lighting and Storage Solution for Partner, Rockwell Automation

CLIENT: ROCKWELL AUTOMATION  |  LOCATION: EDEN PRAIRIE, MN

Van Meter Inc. and Rockwell Automation, the largest manufacturing company dedicated to industrial automation in the world, already have a great partnership. Van Meter has been selling Rockwell Automation products, as well as using them in its own facilities, for years.

When Rockwell needed to update lighting in its Eden Prairie, MN, office, it called on a company that had already earned its trust.

“We were very excited to be able to take this project on and work with Rockwell,” said Van Meter’s Cynthia Bennett, Marketing Program Manager for its contractor solutions group. “They [Rockwell Automation] are a good partner of ours, so it was really fun to be able to come in and do something like a lighting project, which demonstrates to Rockwell that we do a lot more than just industrial automation.”

THE CHALLENGE

With the lease expiring on its Blaine, MN, office, Rockwell decided it was the perfect time to bring its Twin Cities workforce under one roof. To make room, it needed to undergo a buildout at its Eden Prairie location and decided to retrofit its outdated, fluorescent fixtures while it was at it.

“Our lease was expiring at the other facility where our sales folks were,” said Josh Dearth, Rockwell Automation Territory Sales Manager, “so we needed to make sure that we got into this facility at a certain point, under budget and on time.”

Time and budget constraints are typical challenges, but, because Rockwell’s office space was under construction, it didn’t have enough space to safely store its new energy-efficient, LED lights prior to installation.

Van Meter was happy to make room.

THE SOLUTION

Van Meter’s lighting experts recommended Acuity LED VLC (visible light communications) fixtures with user-friendly JOT (just one touch) controls for the job and stored these materials, 20 pallets worth, in its nearby Cottage Grove, MN, distribution center.  Then, the delivery team coordinated deliveries with the Eden Prairie office on an as needed basis.

“The delivery guys were incredible, said Patty Frauendienst, Office Manager for Rockwell’s Eden Prairie office. “They never left me hanging.”

And with supply chain issues affecting product deliveries and construction timelines for other aspects of the buildout, Van Meter was willing to help out any way it could.

“In the midst of the COVID supply chain issues that we're all currently going through,” said Dearth, “they helped us with staging because we couldn't have 20 pallets [of lights] here on site.”

While Van Meter’s project team stepped up to help its long-time partner manage the chaos, this project wouldn’t have come to fruition if Rockwell couldn’t balance the books. “The entire building had a variety of different lighting in the way of old fluorescent tubes, which are energy sucking and provide bad light,”explained Bennett.

Through a lighting audit, Van Meter’s lighting experts determined that it could get Rockwell $15,000 in utility rebates. These rebates brought the entire material cost down to a manageable $35,000, a bill that will be paid off in only two years from the drastic energy savings of the new LED lighting.

In addition to energy efficiency and a better lighting environment, the new lighting solution allows Rockwell extreme flexibility. It can easily program the lighting in every room with “just one touch,” which means Rockwell won’t need the help of an electrical contractor every time it needs to make an adjustment.

“It requires one touch for somebody to remove a panel, and they can program the controls or the sensors that go within each fixture,” Bennett explained.

She added that “Within each fixture are sensors that cover and monitor occupancy. They monitor vacancy and daylight dimming. So with some of the outer rooms where there are windows, you can notice that there will be lamps out along the wall during the day, and those lamps are out because the entire integrated system senses the fact that there's enough light in that room. That results in ongoing energy savings.”

THE RESULT

Now, Rockwell has an energy-efficient, user-friendly, beautiful lighting solution that enhances the work environment and is way better on the bottom line.

“I don't have to squint anymore,” said Dearth. “It's very bright. It's very welcoming. It doesn't feel like some kind of dungeon somewhere. The brightness and the ambiance of the place has really helped with my mood coming into work every day.”

And working with a valued partner on this project put Dearth in a good mood too.

“Another thing I'll say about working with Van Meter was how easy they made it. It was very easy from the quoting process to the installation to the punch list at the end of the project. They just made it very simple for us to do this and get it done well.”

YOUR LIGHTING SOLUTION

Van Meter Inc. provides expert advice in the selection and design of lighting solutions and more. We welcome your call to discuss your next project. To speak with a Van Meter representative, call 1-800-247-1410. We’ll quickly connect you with the person or information you need.