AMSTERDAM — Royal Philips NV, the world’s biggest lighting maker, said Tuesday it sees a brighter future in selling lighting “as a service” to businesses rather than individual lamps to customers, as it reported a rise in fourth quarter earnings.
Despite an upbeat review of the company’s performance, CEO Frans van Houten said he is “cautious” heading into the new year, given a “softer order intake” in the fourth quarter amid uncertainty in emerging economies.