After 87 years in the same facility, Zyloware moved its corporate headquarters from Long Island City to Port Chester, New York. Zyloware’s new facility better accommodates the company, which has evolved and expanded significantly over the decades, but didn’t initially support Zyloware’s mission to improve its environmental impact.
Zyloware Eyewear, a global supplier of high-quality eyewear that it is the first privately held company based in Westchester County, New York to convert from fluorescent lighting to LED tube lighting.
Zyloware’s new 50,000 square foot facility is illuminated by LED lights from manufacturer LongTech. The retrofit began at the end of last year and now Zyloware’s offices and distribution center shine with 700 clean, energy-efficient LongTech LEDs.
Zyloware quickly identified cost-effective strategies to make the building and the company more environmentally friendly and made the decision to replace its fluorescent lighting with long-lasting LongTech LED lighting.
“As an innovator in the eyeglass frame business, we also want to be an innovator and role model in sustainable business initiatives". We are proud to be the first privately owned company in Westchester County to convert to LED lighting, and are already feeling the positive effects from this conversion,” said James Shyer, Zyloware Chief Operating Officer.
“After the conversion to LongTech products, we immediately started saving as much as 40% on our electric costs from when we first moved into our new facility". We expect to recoup our investment in less than 2 years, he added.
LongTech’s LED lighting is 50%+ more efficient than fluorescent lighting and is rated for up to 50,000 hours of operation. LEDs produce far less heat than fluorescents, decreasing the demand on air conditioning systems. Thus, the transition to LED lighting reduces Zyloware’s energy expenditure and consequently its carbon footprint. In fact, the retrofit reduces Zyloware’s CO2 footprint by over 146,000 pounds annually, a dramatic step in becoming a more environmentally responsible company. Zyloware has even installed motion sensors throughout its facility to further reduce energy use.
The retrofit has also positively impacted employee comfort and productivity. Since switching to LongTech products, Zyloware employees have experienced a reduction in eye strain and glare caused by fluorescent lighting. Their facility is now absent of the constant humming noise produced by fluorescent ballasts. Some areas of the facility are even achieving 27 more footcandles with LED lighting than they were with fluorescents. The color temperature of the LED lighting is also important to Zyloware’s manufacturing. At 5,800 Kelvin, the day white LED lamps mimic the color of sunlight, which allows employees to see colors much the same way they appear in natural light – a great benefit for designing eyewear.
For nearly a century, family-owned and operated Zyloware Eyewear has prided itself on quality, service and customer satisfaction.
Zyloware is committed to environmental initiatives, and with the addition of LongTech LED lighting throughout its facility, is making huge strides in becoming more environmentally responsible. The company continues to explore further means by which to reduce its environmental impact.