How does CMCE Lightning Suppression Technology work?

CMCE technology prevents lightning formation by neutralizing the electrical conditions that cause strikes, rather than attracting them. The system continuously dissipates atmospheric charge buildup before lightning can form within the protected area.

How is the CMCE different from a traditional lightning rod?

Traditional lightning rods are designed to attract and redirect lightning strikes. CMCE technology takes a proactive approach by removing the conditions that cause lightning formation within its zone of protection.

What certifications does the CMCE Lightning Suppressor have?

The CMCE Lightning Suppressor is UL Certified and complies with IEC, EN, UNE-EN, and BS-EN 62305 lightning protection standards. The system also complies with RoHS regulations, carries UKCA marking, and maintains ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 certifications.

Has the CMCE been independently tested and environmentally evaluated?

Yes. The CMCE has undergone independent high-voltage, impulse, ignition, and environmental testing under IEC standards, including salt fog, sulfurous atmosphere, electrical current, and mechanical durability evaluations. Testing recorded voltage levels up to 840 kV at one meter without tracer formation.

Is the CMCE internationally recognized?

Yes. The CMCE has received NATO Codification System approval, Lloyd’s Register Type Approval Certification, and RINA Type Approval Certification for use in commercial, industrial, marine, and critical infrastructure applications. The system has also been evaluated by accredited laboratories operating under ENAC-ILAC and ISO 17025 standards.

Which properties benefit most from CMCE technology?

CMCE systems are commonly used to protect commercial buildings, industrial facilities, residential properties, marine vessels, and critical infrastructure where lightning-related downtime or equipment damage can be costly.

How high does the CMCE need to be mounted?

For land installations, the CMCE is typically mounted approximately 6 feet above the highest point of the structure. For marine installations, the CMCE is generally mounted 1 foot above the highest point, excluding outriggers and antennas.

What is involved in the installation process?

Our team performs a site assessment to design a tailored installation plan for your property or vessel. Most installations are completed with minimal disruption and can often be completed within one day depending on project scope.

Inside a CMCE Lightning Suppression Installation: Amazon’s 1-Million-Square-Foot Greenfield Facility

What does a large-scale CMCE Lightning Suppression installation actually look like?

Encore Land and Sea is currently installing nine CMCE-120 Lightning Suppressors around the perimeter of Amazon's new facility in Greenfield, Indiana. The warehouse is approximately 1 million square feet, and the completed CMCE design is intended to provide over 1 million square feet of protected coverage across the building and surrounding property.

The project also shows the difference in installation scale between CMCE Lightning Suppression and a conventional lightning rod system. By choosing CMCE over the traditional lightning rod approach proposed for the property, Amazon is saving nearly $2 million, based on project estimates.

Here is an inside look at the installation now underway.

Protecting a 1-Million-Square-Foot Warehouse

Amazon's Greenfield project is a 1-million-square-foot fulfillment facility, a scale that makes lightning protection a major infrastructure decision. Large warehouse roofs can include extensive electrical, communications, HVAC, lighting, automation, and material-handling systems, while the property itself includes parking, access roads, and other exposed areas.

For Amazon, the goal is not simply to address one possible attachment point. It is to create broad protection around a massive, highly connected operation.

Encore's design uses nine CMCE-120 Lightning Suppressors positioned around the perimeter of the warehouse, creating overlapping protection zones across the facility and surrounding property.

A Recommendation Built on Proven Experience

This project came to Encore Land and Sea through an important professional recommendation.

The electricians completing the electrical work for Amazon had previously partnered with Encore to install CMCE Lightning Suppression at a Sherwin-Williams plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky approximately one year earlier. After seeing the system in place and the successful results Sherwin-Williams has experienced, the electrical team recommended CMCE as the lightning protection solution for the Amazon project.

That previous installation helped provide a real-world reference point for a major facility evaluating an alternative to a traditional lightning rod network.

9 CMCE-120s vs. a Large Traditional Lightning Rod Network

One of the clearest differences in this project is the amount of infrastructure required.

Encore Land and Sea is protecting the Amazon facility using just nine strategically placed CMCE-120 Lightning Suppressors and less than 500 feet of wire.

By comparison, conventional lightning protection systems use networks of air terminals, conductors, bonding connections, and grounding paths across the structure. UL installation guidance states that perimeter air terminals are generally spaced no more than 20 feet apart, with air-terminal layouts connected to multiple paths to ground.

To illustrate the scale, a 1-million-square-foot warehouse with a roughly square 1,000-foot-by-1,000-foot footprint would have approximately 4,000 linear feet of perimeter. At 20-foot spacing, perimeter protection alone could require roughly 200 air terminals, before accounting for additional terminals required by the actual roof geometry, rooftop projections, conductor routing, bonding, or down conductors.

That same simplified footprint would involve at least several thousand feet of perimeter conductor before adding the rest of the traditional lightning protection network.

The exact quantity for a conventional system can only be determined from an engineered roof layout, but the comparison demonstrates why installation complexity can grow quickly on a warehouse of this size.

For this Amazon project, the CMCE design dramatically simplifies that infrastructure:

9 CMCE-120 Lightning Suppressors
Less than 500 feet of wire
Over 1 million square feet of protected coverage
Nearly $2 million in project savings compared with the traditional lightning rod option

Inside the Installation Process

Encore Land and Sea's turnkey installation process begins with property evaluation, system design, strategic placement, grounding integration, installation documentation, and final verification.

At Amazon, efficiency has already been visible in the field.

Day 1: Two CMCE Systems Installed

On the first day of installation, Encore Land and Sea's team installed two CMCE-120 Lightning Suppressors around the warehouse perimeter.

Based on current progress, the team anticipates completing all nine systems in approximately four total workdays.

For a 1-million-square-foot industrial property, this helps demonstrate one of the practical advantages of a streamlined suppression design: fewer devices, less conductor, and a comparatively simple installation footprint.

Strategic Placement Around the Warehouse

Each CMCE-120 is installed at a predetermined location around the warehouse perimeter based on the protection design. Together, the systems create overlapping zones intended to protect not only the building, but portions of the surrounding property as well.

The systems are then integrated with the appropriate grounding infrastructure according to project and manufacturer requirements. Encore also documents the installation process to support final review and certification.

From Sherwin-Williams to Amazon

Major industrial projects often move forward based on proven results and trusted professional relationships.

In this case, the electricians working on Amazon's facility had already seen Encore's CMCE installation process firsthand at Sherwin-Williams. Their positive experience with that project—and Sherwin-Williams' success with the system—helped lead to the recommendation of CMCE for Amazon's new Greenfield facility.

The result is a lightning protection strategy designed to provide broad coverage while requiring far less rooftop infrastructure than a conventional rod-and-conductor network.

Current Project Snapshot

Facility: Amazon Fulfillment Facility, Greenfield, IN
Warehouse Size: Approximately 1,000,000 square feet
Project Status: Installation currently underway
System: CMCE Lightning Suppression
Model: CMCE-120
Systems Being Installed: 9
Placement: Around the warehouse perimeter
Total Protected Area: Approximately 4,500,000 square feet
CMCE Wiring: Less than 500 feet
Installation Progress: 2 systems installed on Day 1
Estimated Field Installation: Approximately 4 workdays
Estimated Savings vs. Traditional Lightning Rod Design: Nearly $2 million

A Simpler Approach to Large-Scale Lightning Protection

For massive warehouses, distribution centers, manufacturing plants, and industrial facilities, a traditional lightning protection system can require a substantial network of air terminals and conductor across the roof.

CMCE Lightning Suppression offers a different approach: strategically placed systems designed to prevent lightning strike formation within the protected area while reducing the amount of equipment and wiring required across the property.

At Amazon's 1-million-square-foot Greenfield facility, nine CMCE-120s, less than 500 feet of wire, a projected four-day installation, and nearly $2 million in estimated savings demonstrate how significant that difference can be at scale.

Contact Encore Land and Sea to request a proposal and learn how CMCE technology can protect your facility from the dangers of lightning strikes.

Phone: (888) 360-7786

Email: sales@encorelandandsea.com

Website: www.encorelandandsea.com