From the setting of an atmosphere with a room in our home to increasing productivity levels of your staff, lighting plays a large role in all areas of our personal and professional lives. Studies have shown how the choice of the correct lighting set-up within a workplace maximises output capacity and maintains staff well-being whereas, when we’re at home, we like to feel comfortable and safe.
Manufacturing environments call for a carefully considered lighting plan; by installing the highest quality lighting fixtures, you’re ensuring that you provide your workers with the best possible environment in which to do their job. What part does CRI play in this?
In this article, we discuss:
Colour Rendering Index (CRI) uses a scale from 0 to 100 to indicate how a particular light source makes the colour of an object appear to the human eye. The higher the CRI (for example, 90% and above) the better the rendering ability of the light to show colours accurately and vibrantly.
CRI is measured in comparison to natural sunlight. It’s hard to beat the beauty of vivid sunshine but premium LED lighting offers a close approximation. Light sources with a CRI of 90% and above are optimal choices for those wishing to illuminate their workplace or home effectively and within budget.
You may not realise how important CRI is – but it’s important to remember that not all lighting is created equal.
Not being able to tell the difference between black and dark navy would indicate your current lighting solution isn’t as good as it should be. CRI is tested with specialist machinery which breaks down the light spectrum down into 8 different colours and scores them individually. The higher the score, the more accurate and vibrant the colour spectrum is displayed.
Using CRI should be a serious consideration for your business if you want to improve productivity and staff morale. It matters simply because the spaces you are lighting affect the people working within them.
Commercially, lighting can be utilised in a number of ways. In manufacturing specifically, lighting is important to ensure spot-on accuracy at every stage of the production line.
Successful retailers know the benefits of working with lighting in order to promote and showcase their products in the most appealing way.
Superior lighting with a high CRI ensures your products are illuminated in their best light with true colour likeness. It’s crucial to stay one step ahead of the competition more than ever in retail and corners cannot be cut here – research has clearly shown that customers are drawn to displays lit intelligently time and time again.
This doesn’t just apply to fashion retail. For example, groceries and food served in restaurants and cafes all benefit from CRI enrichment as it greatly adds to their appeal.
Low CRI lighting results in washed out, dull or inaccurate colour representation. This is certainly not something you want associated with your merchandise.
Compare that to the luminosity created by high CRI – colours, textures, and finishes are highlighted and your target audience can appreciate the depths of tone and finish of the product.
High CRI light sources are used to light manufacturing plants in order to help workers complete tasks accurately and quickly. A CRI of 90% of above is recommended so staff can clearly see necessary detail in the objects they are working with.
Factories, production lines, and shipyards can be dangerous places to work. You can ensure that no costly mistakes are made by providing the facility with a superior choice of lighting. From safeguarding your staff by lighting all nooks and crannies to making sure they have no difficulties reading machine equipment guidelines, box labels, or containers, high CRI lighting promotes safe working environments.
The correct level of CRI is important so that your staff can be confident in their creativity. As opposed to lower quality bulbs or minimised colour light output, CRI and its available variety of implementation allows for staff to make accurate choices when working. For example, a car production line or furniture making company need complete consistency for colour matching and CRI allows you to do this.
CRI is also important in your home. Not only will it better highlight your carefully chosen interior design style but perhaps you have a hobby that requires high quality lighting. Needlework, model-making, and painting all benefit from thought-out lighting solutions offering a high CRI percentage.
Alongside the benefits of clarity and consistency, high level CRI lighting solutions are engineered to last longer and save you money. On average, businesses can save up to 75% on their annual energy bills and 90% on maintenance costs compared to traditional lighting solutions.
Business owners realise the benefits of carefully considered lighting solutions and how important accurate colour representation is in relation to both staff and customers.
There has been a great deal of research into LEDs with high CRI scores and, now for your premises, there is a great variety of options available in the marketplace meaning your specific business lighting needs can be addressed efficiently.
From factory production lines to manufacturing plants, CRI is best used when the circumstances call for as close to natural sunlight as possible.
If you would like some further information about how CRI lighting can affect your manufacturing business or home environment, please get in touch. You can contact us on 01202 554 200 or send us an email at info@airius.co.uk.
