A German/Japanese Healthcare Leader

Client

One of the world’s leading dental companies with its headquarters in Germany, and a wholly owned subsidiary of one of the largest Japanese trading groups. The company supplies dentists and dental technicians with an extensive product range, covering cosmetic dentistry, tooth preservation, prosthetics, periodontology and digital dentistry. More than 1,500 employees at 26 locations worldwide are driven by their expertise and passion for the dental market.

Objectives

The client’s Shanghai facility is a mixed office and manufacturing facility that includes all sales, accounting, HR. legal and management functions for greater China. One of the earliest organizations to locate at its site in the early 2000’s, it's now in the heart of one of the most developed Hi-Tech Parks in Shanghai that’s home to a wide range of both MNC and Chinese company head offices. It was decided to undertake a significant upgrade of the facility including the creation of the primary Asia training facilities for the client’s end customers. From a sustainability and operations POV, the project objectives were:

• More energy- and cost-efficient facilities run
• More environmentally friendly building
• Healthier and more productive work spaces for employees and guests
• A symbol of the company’s advanced technology and commitment to corporate social responsibility

Solution

A holistic and integrated building improvement program, using smart building and sustainability technology, to improve the client’s facility across a wide range of measurable areas. The goal for the program design was to create an integrated solution set that improved the client’s facilities across a wide range of areas but which were constrained by a realistic budget. The solutions implemented included:

1. Detailed Building Audit with prioritized business case and ROI targets. The output of the business case informed the decision of what solutions make the most economic sense for implementation.
2. LED lighting replacement - Most lighting was replaced with advanced LED lights designed for long-life and no maintenance. Automatic dimming provided in low traffic locations for additional energy savings.
3. Electrical improvements; Planned Preventative Maintenance and HVAC piping insulation repair:
   1. Comprehensive audit of electrical and air conditioning systems
   2. A series of targeted electrical upgrades
   3. Replacement of air conditioning water piping insulation
   4. A program of planned preventative maintenance (PPM) to ensure that systems remain in good condition and staff time is spent on more maintenance and less repair for the remaining life of the building
4. Active air filtering:
   1. Air filtering systems bring indoor air quality to international standards, even when outdoor pollution is severe
   2. Sensors automatically ensure filters are operating properly and only run when needed
   3. Heat exchangers added to fresh air intakes, so the air handling units actually use less energy than previously
5. Green plant wall: A 20m2 living plant wall with automatic watering and lighting systems
6. Air quality and energy data visualization
   1. Data integration from existing energy system and new air quality monitors, updated every 10 minutes, displayed through rotating graphics on a lobby screen
   2. Automatically reminds staff to close windows when AC and air filtering are active

The cost savings from the energy and facility management initiatives subsidized the indoor environment and IT initiatives and provided an attractive payback for the whole program.