Wavin UK

Chippenham, United Kingdom

Wavin is a leading UK manufacturer and supplier of plastic piping for above- and below-ground drainage. It specialises in water management, plumbing, and underfloor heating solutions for the building, construction, and utilities industries.

Part of the Wavin Group, which is headquartered in the Netherlands and operates worldwide, Wavin UK’s manufacturing facility in Chippenham, Wiltshire, was established in 1981. The 42-acre facility employs approximately 500 people across a large factory, a warehouse, bulk storage yards, logistics facilities and offices.

Applications Covered:

The Challenge

As a leading manufacturer of plastic products for the built environment, Wavin is keenly aware of its environmental responsibilities and is taking decisive action to become a leader in sustainability. The company’s goal is to achieve Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050.

To help achieve this, Wavin has undertaken multiple initiatives at its Chippenham plant. These include the installation of a photovoltaic solar panel grid, which has contributed to the site running on 100% green energy, and a heat recovery system from the on-site chiller. The company now has an entirely electric car fleet; furthermore, it is increasing the volume of recycled plastics used in its products.

Seeing the potential efficiency benefits of switching to controlled LED lighting, Wavin engaged Thorlux Lighting to modernise the lighting system at the Chippenham site.

The Solution

By adopting the SmartScan wireless lighting management system site-wide, Wavin site managers now have unparalleled lighting control with access to energy performance data and operational information displayed on the password-protected SmartScan website.

SmartScan luminaires contain a discrete integral sensor which monitors ambient light and presence and controls light output to the correct level, ensuring that an area only illuminates when occupied. SmartScan-equipped projects frequently benefit from significant energy savings when compared with conventional technology.

The nine-bay factory is lit primarily with Visio and Visio Pro high-bay luminaires with wide-angled lighting distribution. Corrosion-resistant Thoroproof luminaires are used in key workshop areas. In the warehouse building, narrow-distribution Visio luminaires are used between the racks. The site canteen is lit with Hi-Style 600x600 recessed units, and the open-plan office building makes striking use of linear, low-glare Kanby Pro luminaires.

Switching to Thorlux luminaires with SmartScan lighting management means that Wavin now avoids the production of over 500,000 kg of greenhouse gases each year, saving approximately 90% on its previous energy expenditure.

90 %

Energy saving

502,473 kg CO_₂e

Replacing the LED lighting across our vast site was daunting as manufacturing is a continuous process that must safely be worked around. Thorlux understood the needs of the business and worked professionally to provide a solution that fit our needs with minimal disruption to our day-to-day processes. The LED lighting is one of the many sustainability measures to be brought into our Chippenham site and we thank the team at Thorlux for their expertise and advice.

Garry Hulbert

Chippenham Plant Manager, Wavin UK