Manufacturing Archives | Smart Ease

Sunlight powers emergency light production at Clevertronics

Demanzo Team — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 11:16:25 +0000

Look around your office and it’s almost certain you’ll spot an illuminated exit sign somewhere. On an average day, no-one notices emergency lighting. But when there’s a blackout or a fire, these smart, disc-shaped light fittings recessed in ceilings and stairwells can save lives.

Clevertronics is a market leader in Australia and New Zealand for emergency lighting and is recognised as a sustainability leader in its field. The type of lights Clevertronics produces are a mandatory feature of buildings like offices and hospitals, with regular testing and reporting dictated by law.

Along with innovation, energy efficiency is hardwired into Clevertronics’ DNA. The company’s leaders walk the talk when it comes to environmental responsibility, and its products lead the market in sustainability and energy efficiency.

As part of its sustainability strategy, Clevertronics solar installation has long been on the cards, but its previous premises presented a hitch.

Project snapshot

200 kW solar array

444 x 450W panels

Surface area: 660m²

Supports: manufacturing and EV charging

Solar provides 55% of energy needs

Annual CO₂ reduction: 200 tonnes

Annual energy production: 254MWh (forecasted)

Excess energy exported ≡ 12 x homes usage

“Our previous location was fragmented with a number of small buildings on the premises − not really conducive to solar.

When we moved to our new building (as anchor tenant on a modern industrial estate) in late 2019, everything aligned. With a long-term lease, a nice big roof space with no shade, and owners who were totally happy for us to add value to their investment in the form of commercial solar array, the time was right.”

Andrew Murray, Product Support Manager, Clevertronics

The solution

Clevertronics engaged Smart Ease Channel Partner Smart Commercial Solar to install a 200kW rooftop solar array. Divided into two areas to support manufacturing and EV charging, a total of 444 x 450W panels were installed. The panels cover a surface area of 660m² – larger than your average football field.

A Smart Ease payment solution was included as part of Smart Commercial Solar’s initial proposal and Clevertronics jumped at the option. Low interest rates meant cash was “cheap” at the time, so funding their solar array via a Smart Ease Payment Plan made more sense than allocating their own funds to the project.

We have a longstanding partnership with Smart Ease, and we integrate their payment options in all our proposals using their API.

Clevertronics decided quite late in December that a finance solution was the preferred method of procurement. Any other lender would have deferred until January, but the Smart Ease team was responsive and got the documentation through before the end of year, in line with the customer’s budgetary deadlines.

Anastasi Kotoros, Head of Marketing, Smart Commercial Solar

The win

Clevertronics’ solar installation now provides 150kW of energy to power their manufacturing production area with an additional 50kW earmarked for future EV charging stations. Clevertronics has found that 150kW is the ideal amount to meet their weekday manufacturing demand – on the weekends, power is fed back into the grid. At this point, the business uses 55% solar and draws 45% of its energy from the grid to cover overnight production.

The solar array accounts for an estimated annual CO₂ reduction of 200 tonnes. With a forecasted energy production of 254MWh per year, Clevertronics’ reliance on external power has dropped by over 50% − and exports enough energy to the grid to power twelve average homes. For eight months of the year, Clevertronics generates more power than it consumes, which means it’s now classified as a power generator.

“Our solar installation has more than met our expectations, and we look forward to the next stage of installing EV charging stations,” said Andrew Murray, Clevertronics’ Product Support Manager.

Start a conversation with Smart Ease and find out how our Payment Plans can help you meet sustainability goals and save on energy costs.

The post Sunlight powers emergency light production at Clevertronics appeared first on Smart Ease.

Penrose Glass slashes energy bills with smart solar move

Demanzo Team — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 07:52:37 +0000

Like many Australian manufacturing businesses, Penrose Glass faced rising electricity bills in recent years – a challenge they were determined to address.

Founded in 1919 by Albert Victor Penrose, the NSW-based glass manufacturing and repair business is now managed by fourth-generation leader Michael Penrose. Its longevity and success are a testament to its adaptability.

When Penrose Glass transitioned from hand-cutting to fully automated glass cutting, the company doubled in size and became one of NSW’s leading glass specialists, with multiple sites across the state.

In 2024, the Penrose team decided it was time for another leap forward: investing in solar to reduce operating costs and protect against future energy price rises.

Project snapshot

Industry: Manufacturing

Channel Partner: Unified Energy Services

System Size: 31.9kW

Equipment:
50x JA Solar panels
1x Sungrow Inverter

Payment Plan term: 5 years

They engaged Unified Energy Services in early 2024, and by September, Unified had installed a 31.9kW solar system at their Kogarah warehouse. Unified’s Will Barham recommended using a Smart Ease Payment Plan, allowing Penrose Glass to avoid any upfront capital outlay and instead pay via manageable monthly instalments – preserving cash reserves while improving cash flow.

The win

The new system is expected to generate 39.1MWh of clean electricity per year, avoiding 39.2 tonnes of CO2 emissions, and is projected to save Penrose Glass approximately $12,900 annually on energy bills.

In a year when the average NSW business saw energy costs rise by 10%, these savings represented a major win.

“It doesn’t matter if you are a small or large user of power—solar cuts the cost significantly and pays itself off within a few years,” said Michael Penrose, Director at Penrose Glass.

Start a conversation with Smart Ease and find out how our Payment Plans can help you meet sustainability goals and save on energy costs.

The post Penrose Glass slashes energy bills with smart solar move appeared first on Smart Ease.

Time-poor business reaps the benefits of Smart Ease fast approvals

Stefanie D — Tue, 03 May 2022 00:10:10 +0000

“Smart Ease understands smart building equipment and helped us facilitate an efficient finance product. This was much harder to do with traditional finance options. Their process was efficient and professional which assisted a time-poor person such as myself.”

Owner, Creswick Group

Project snapshot

Equipment

Security equipment & lighting upgrade

Organisation

Creswick Woollen Mills

Industry

Retail & Manufacturing

Location

Victoria

Start a conversation with Smart Ease and find out how our solar commercial finance support enterprise scale solar projects and sustainability goals.

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