Lighting Industry

The technological shift to LED is changing maintenance practices but not eliminating maintenance. The result is a search for new best practices, incorporating new elements such as controls into maintenance, and ensuring there qualified personnel able to maintain these systems. Three experts comprised a panel that discussed these and other issues at the National Lighting Bureau’s Annual Lighting Forum. Click to watch the video.

LEDVANCE GmbH, formerly OSRAM SYLVANIA, is now fully owned by MLS, a Chinese LED lighting company.

Philips Lighting recently announced announced its intention to change its name from Philips Lighting to Signify. In a press release, the company stated, “The choice of our new company name originates from the fact that light becomes an intelligent language, which connects and conveys meaning.”

In November 2017, the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) released its new 2015 U.S. Lighting Characterization report. The 135-page report, which follows similar reports issued in 2001 and 2010, estimates the total installed lighting stock in the United States by light source and building sector. Dense with tables and graphs, it provides data useful for business planning while clarifying trends.

At the Strategies in Light conference held February 28-March 2, 2017 in Anaheim, California, Dan Ryan, VP Product, IoT Solutions, Acuity Brands Lighting examined lighting disruption posed by LED technology and the Internet of Things (IoT). He said a good starting point to predicting what will happen next in the lighting industry is to look at changes in similar industries such as electronics and computing. Specifically, by examining bundling and unbundling, based on a quote attributed to American executive Jim Barksdale: “There are two ways to make money in business: You can unbundle, or you can bundle.”

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Scott Roos, VP Design, Downlight, Accent and Trac Products, Acuity Brands Lighting. The topic: trends in LED downlights. I’m happy to share his responses with you here.

At the 2017 Strategies in Light conference, Robert F. Karlicek, Jr. spoke about creative destruction in the lighting industry brought on by LED technology and the Internet of things (IoT). After catching his fascinating presentation, I interviewed him for a story for ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR. Click here for an excerpt and link where you can read the article.

Randy Burkett Lighting Design recently announced it is beginning its 30th year of professional practice.

Big changes at my alma mater, ARCHITECTURAL LIGHTING. Editor Elizabeth Donoff recently announced that the magazine will move to a digital-only format starting in 2018. And today is Donoff’s last day with the magazine as editor in chief.