Las Vegas, 2 JUN 2014—Every two years we highlight the top10 ‘Must See’ products at LIGHTFAIR. 2014 was supposed to be our off year, but with so many new and exciting products being launched this year, we had no choice but to make it an annual event. I am the first to admit that we do not have a foolproof system. Some products are submitted directly to us. Others are found by our sources, which we have at all Tier 1 accounts, most Tier 2 and some Tier 3—and still we may miss a few great products. Of the products we are aware of, in no certain order, our Top 10 are:
GE’s Lighting’s Bytelight technology. Booth 4208. Think of indoor GPS with light fixtures playing the role of satellites. Want to stay in step with shoppers as they browse your retail aisles for electronics, health care items or clothing? LED lighting fixtures can communicate with customers’ smart phones as they peruse store shelves, enabling retailers to provide location-based services using GE’s LED infrastructure. We spend 80% of the time indoors and this GE product offers a wide range of possibilities, radical possibilities—many of which have not been conceived. Imagine being in Home Depot and adding a ceiling fan into the cart, then receiving a reminder on your smart phone to pick up light bulbs and receiving a map of where they are located, then receiving a coupon on your smart phone for a specific brand. Ten years ago, I could never have conceived the importance of GPS on my smartphone. Today, we probably can’t conceive of the importance of indoor GPS. Given GE’s strong corporate position in retail, they are probably the best poised to capitalize and execute this opportunity.
If Bytelight were incorporated today at LIGHTFAIR, your smart phone could guide you through this top-ten list and give you the most expeditious route. It could beep you if one of those product managers kept you at a particular booth too long. Also, the need for scanners would be eliminated. If a guest chose to opt-in to the service, the lights would tell the manufacturer how much time the guest spent at the booth (as well as competitor’s booths.)
Cree T8. Booth 5421. Cree’s technology delivers a 30% energy savings, a CRI at 90, a near-universal T-8 compatibility and is approved by the DLC, which will qualify it for rebates rom $5 to $20 per tube. This product was launched in May, but most have not seen it. Cree revolutionized the incandescent replacement with the first cost-affordable LED bulb, we expect similar success with the T8. Video.
Heilux. Booth 5008, Bill Brown Sales. Heilux is a new company that is launching a flexible light sheet panel that requires no heat sink. EdisonReport does not typically publish specific price points, but we have made comparisons and the Heilux light sheet is cost-competitive. Plus, it is easily tiled together to almost any size or dimension by the user and carries a 5-year limited warranty. Their tagline is appropriate, “Changing the Shape of Lighting.”
AcuityBrands. Booths 3808/6218 Acuity Brands seems to be investing in OLED in a big way. NomiTM OLED sconces are designed as a modern interpretation of a candle flame. These affordable sconces are strikingly contemporary and innately evocative, creating drama and emphasizing beauty as an architectural element in corporate interiors, hospitality and residential settings. Nomi OLED sconces will be offered by Winona® Lighting, an Acuity Brands company.
Thomas Research. Booth 5212. Thomas Research makes luminaires bulletproof. If it weren’t for voltage protection, the Outdoor LED and Plasma industry would be in a different position. The Thomas Research surge protector is the Kevlar protection for these sophisticated systems and the company will demonstrate the new EOL3-277-20KA series Surge Protector offering protection from surges up 20,000 amps, on electrical mains up to 277V. They are UL1449 Recognized and CE certified.
Amerlux Hornet Retrofit. Booth 5408. We like retrofits and at just 15 watts, Hornet is the perfect replacement solution for 50-watt PAR30 fixtures. The Hornet Retrofit Kit fits easily and quickly into most six-inch recessed line voltage housings/cans with torsion springs. With easily field-changeable beam spreads including 15-degree Spot, 28-degree Flood and 45-degree Wide Flood optics, the Hornet adds flexibility that was unavailable with standard recessed fixtures.
Eaton’s Cooper Lighting. Booth 3824. Cooper Lighting will demonstrate the Metalux SkyBar™, the first high bay luminaire to offer uplight and adjustable optical blades. SkyBar uses the patented WaveStream™ LED technology which features laser-precise AccuAim™ optics arranged in exacting patterns, providing unparalleled brightness control while delivering the maximum amount of light on task. This stylish luminaire efficiently improves light quality and distribution for indoor high bay commercial, retail and industrial applications. The aesthetic design allows the product to be used in more ambiance-sensitive environments, while eliminating the “cave effect” found in traditional high bay solutions.
Resilient Lighting. Booth 1319. Resilient will launch its HMP1000, a Light Emitting Plasma™ luminaire that replaces MH 1000. This is the same LEP technology that LUXIM has used for years in 400-watt replacements; only it has increased in scale. The luminaire offers 50% energy savings at 500 total system watts and features no maintenance for ten years, as well as a low wind load rating.
Samsung. Booth 5435. The Samsung Swivel Par 38 made my head swivel when I first saw the picture. The first thing that comes to mind is, “Why didn’t I think of that.” It is a very clever design. This new product category provides design freedom by optimizing the thin profile of LED technology versus forcefully fitting the technology into conventional form factors. This lamp truly blurs the line between lamp and fixture aesthetically. The lamp features a soft halo like ring around the edge for a beautiful glowing finish. The ornately molded flat head sits atop a ball joint allowing the user the flexibility to direct the light where needed (25° tilt in any direction).
ecoInsight. Booth 7315. ecoInsight is the fastest growing energy upgrade sales platform in the world, and for the first time EdisonReport is adding a service to the Top 10 List. ecoInsight’s software reduces the time necessary to prepare a lighting upgrade proposal by almost half. It allows users to be more responsive to customers, more accurate in their financial analysis and more professional in their proposals. Eight of the top ten leading electrical distributors use ecoInsight. In addition to speaking to product management at ecoInsight, we spoke to a key customer who said this system has had a profound effect on their close rate. As we all know, we work in a great industry with world-class products, but most CEO’s tell me their main problem is closing orders. Any tool that helps improves sales will be great for our industry.
All of the above products (and service) will be automatically submitted for EdisonReport’s LightTrades™ Awards. These awards feature the very best products displayed at all of the major light shows and will be announced in December.
Other Notes of interest:
- We are told that Venture Lighting, the leader in Metal Halide lamps, will launch a line of LED Drivers. Yes, Venture and LED in the same booth.
- Cree has shared a very interesting consumer bulb, but they have embargoed the release of information until Wednesday, 4 JUN. The date of their embargo is unfortunate as it precludes being included in our Top 10 list.
- Acuity scored big at the Las Vegas Convention Center as the company’s VT Series LED luminaires illuminate the administrative building, public corridors and concourse areas.