Gary Bennett, Regional Director (UK and Ireland), Urbis Schréder, discusses the crossover between lighting and security, what it means to be ‘connected ready’ and the importance of sustainability.

Can you tell us a little bit about who you are and who Urbis Schréder is?

I oversee the growth of our UK and Ireland business, introducing not just lighting but additional services that help customers to reduce their carbon footprint and take control of their lighting solutions’

We officially became Urbis Schréder – which is the UK entity, 50 years ago. However, as part of the Schréder family, collectively we have over 100+ years of experience in lighting city centres, roads, rail, bridges, tunnels, buildings, and workspaces.

How does security and lighting work cohesively to create spaces that people feel safe in?

Security and lighting crossover in many ways than we think. With the right design and technology, lighting can completely transform a space and how (or whether) people use and experience it. Our priority is not only to create aesthetically pleasing places for people to live in and enjoy, but to also provide the element of safety, where we can help build people’s confidence in outdoor areas – using the power of lighting.

We have several advanced lighting and security features, such as our SHUFFLE and our ALINEA handrail anti-climb solution, which prevents trespassing and climbing or any unwanted activities.

As a company we value the importance of safety and know its impact on people and the night economy. That’s why it is crucial to use lighting correctly and take everything into consideration like to provide an easy-to-navigate, safe and well-lit area that encourages active mobility, social connectivity and possibly crime prevention.

What does ‘connected-ready’ mean?

Essentially, what it means is that each luminaire is ‘ready’ to operate with control systems and sensors – like Schréder’s EXEDRA, which allows you to receive real-time data and allows you to plan, monitor and control outdoor lighting networks.

It’s a great choice for local authorities who want to upgrade their lighting, either by switching to LED or improving existing LED solutions, but don’t want to install a CMS right now. Put simply, it means streetlights can easily become part of a connected system if-and-when the asset owner wants to activate one – without changing the infrastructure.

What steps is Urbis Schréder taking to contribute towards decarbonisation?

Firstly, most, if-not-all our products are recyclable, energy efficient and achieve significantly lower carbon footprint than those in the market. This is mainly due to our smart control systems like EXEDRA as mentioned before because it helps you recognise/detect faults in real-time and can help you adapt to match its environment.

For example, in areas that are not frequently used – such as storage zones or pathways in certain period of the night – sensors can ensure that lights are only activated where movement is detected. This results to less energy and money wasted on illuminating areas where light is not needed.

Secondly, we also have our ‘Together for our Future’ projects, which structures around three axes encompassing the relevant and prioritised SDGs and targets: Together for Our Planet, Together for Our People and Together for Our Community. As well as helping our customers to reduce their carbon emissions/footprint and build a circular economy, it aligns with our own carbon footprint reduction targets. To give an example, our 2022 Sustainability report shows that we have achieved a -33% CO2 reduction compared to our 2018 baseline and target. This just goes to show that the measures we’re taking are effectively contributing towards decarbonisation and helping increase the percentage of CO2 reduction every year.

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