Yes, GE and Magnatek and the other biggies know how.
Now whether they'll DO it is a whole different question - it's a huge learning curve as they try using crap commodity SMT devices on the electronic ballasts, they blow up in service, and they have to deal with a crapload of warranty returns.
Always Date Everything - get paint markers and put the date on the fixture can and the ballast itself when you install it. They can try to argue about it, but you can show them the date and the invoices associated with that ballast, it's still in warranty, gimme another.
They'll try to make the warranty date when you bought it, you might have to fight to start the clock when you actually put it in service 3 or 6 months later. But you can get it.
Lithonia is getting a lot of the F22T9 Circline fixtures back from me with blown Chinese crap ballasts - often it's the electrolytics going Bang somewhere between 1 and 2 years. Same fixture only running a few hours a day, and far less problems.
Having to run 24/7 is the worst duty for an electronic ballast, but you can't get magnetics anymore. But one building I deal with just goes and orders themselves another dozen new fixtures, and I swap the whole thing when the old one blows... Go figure.
The best ones are the ballast boards in the screw-in CFL Fluorescents that not only blow up they catch on fire. "Mean Time Between Failures" isn't supposed to include Flamage.
That's never stopped you before... ;-P :rimshot:
Check out the prices on retrofitting what you've got with electronic ballasts, reflectors, and new lamps, and putting up new strips totally. And since that was a cutter grinding shop and you're going to find lots of "surprises" up there, I'd weight it more toward total replacement.
The reflectors on new or retrofit lights are important, you really don't need to light up the ceiling - you want the light going down on your work. And they've done studies, specular chrome doesn't work any better than a nice clean white.
For the "Warehouse" areas that are wired and rigged for Low Bay or High Bay lights, you get the pre-made 6-lamp T-5 replacements and pop them into the same space. But you get the lights dropped to 9' or so over Repair and Cleanup work tables and the Shipping area - levels need to be a lot higher for fine work.
And with any system, pay attention to the options.
If the Warehouse has 50 lights on one or two 277V circuits you want to put individual fuseholders in each fixture. Because you'll play hell tracking down a grounded ballast that takes the whole room out at one shot - the fuse will clear that fixture alone, and the rest go merrily burning along.
Put "Night Lights" over the back and side doors, over the power panel, and a few on the aisles, just enough light to keep from killing yourself if you have to maneuver back to the power panels with the main room lights off. Try to get Old School fixtures with magnetic ballasts for this, and put a service switch on the side of the can so you can cut off the 24/7 fixture long enough to work on it.
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