A bright future

One thing of which the distribution sector cannot be accused is complacency. It’s an industry which continually looks to develop into new areas of technology, despite economic conditions. The latest forecast from industry association Afdec painted a dismal picture of the UK distribution sector’s short term prospects. And, for the first time, Afdec was unable to see further than six months out. Yet there are islands of opportunity which resemble beacons in the general gloom. One of these is LED technology. The use of LEDs for lighting applications has come into focus over the last couple of years. Apart from their obvious power saving features, LED lighting brings a lot more architectural design flexibility. So it’s no surprise that interest is growing – and no surprise that the distribution sector is there to help. Wolfgang Reis, business development manager for EBV Elektronik, outlined the benefits. “In comparison to other light sources, the LED has some unbeatable features, such as a lifetime of some 100,000hr, unlimited switching and directed light output. They are mercury free, robust and can produce saturated colours of just one wavelength.” David Spragg, marketing and engineering director for Arrow UK, added: “They can be dimmed easily to low levels, unlike fluorescents, and they can be run in cold conditions, suiting them to outdoor lighting, as well as medical applications and chiller cabinets. They are also ‘instant on’, so novel energy saving switching techniques can be implemented – smart lights in motion sensing applications, for example.” How quickly is demand for these products ramping? Lawrence Madanda, general manager EMEA of Future Electronics’ subsidiary Future Lighting Solutions, said: “Extremely quickly, particularly in sectors such as entertainment, architectural and medical. Overall, unit demand for power LEDs is doubling each year.” Spragg noted that recent legislation, along with increased energy costs, are driving ‘significant increases’ in demand. “A report from NextGen Research forecasts the overall solid state lighting market will see revenues in excess of $33billion by 2013, with the illumination segment of the LED market showing a compound annual growth rate of 22%.” So if the benefits of LEDs are that obvious, why has uptake been so slow? Reis believes many small and mid sized companies have brilliant ideas, but lack know how and experience. “For architects and designers, the type of light source is not important; they need an easy to install and flexible light source. A partner network had to be created to speed them up!” Madanda noted the mass market is often reluctant to adopt new technologies quickly. “The same applies with LEDs: performance and price must be compelling. But,” he added, “it should not be assumed these moves are not being made. Nearly every major lighting company has a strategy for LEDs. It is simply a matter of time.”