Simkar Forms New Group for Expansion in Lighting for Cold Storage Facilities

In a bid to dig further into the market for lighting fixtures designed for use in cold storage facilities, Simkar, LLC, Philadelphia, has formed a new wholly owned subsidiary, Energy Lighting Group (ELG), for that market.

The move is designed to meet needs for a more consultative sales approach to assist in determining the optimum lighting configuration based on facility environment, size and usage, while focusing on long-term energy efficiency, the company said.

“We see an opportunity in the cold storage and refrigerated warehouse market for a more personalized approach,” says David Zarrilli, director of ELG. “We're providing facility analysis from lighting aspect and we're focused on helping clients improve on that, as well as cost savings on the back end.”

The primary target market for ELG will be independent refrigerated warehouses that contract space and provide logistics services to clients in industries such as food products and medical supplies that require cold storage, Zarrilli said. “From there, we'll grow tentacles into other areas — larger, smaller, privately owned warehouses.”

The cold storage environment requires lighting suited to different temperature ranges — some warehouses run as low as subzero to -20°F, while others may go as high as 55°F. Depending on the application, the company specifies high-intensity discharge (HID) lighting and T-5 HO fluorescents.

ELG will offer a specialized range of lighting fixtures, backed by a comprehensive network of technical and support resources to assist clients with layout, installation and energy analysis to insure a rapid return on investment, the company said.

Zarrilli moved to Simkar to run ELG, bringing a background in engineering, sales and marketing of scientific and medical instrumentation at Thwing-Albert Instrument Co., West Berlin, N.J.

Simkar has recently developed an initiative to promote energy-efficient lighting and assist designers and customers in choosing the best technologies for their applications. Simkar Energy Solutions is featured on the company's website, www.simkar.com, highlighting the advantages of fluorescent lighting and the company's ability to produce fixtures that qualify for government efficiency programs.