Your humble editor sat down with Dr. Jacob Tarn, CEO of LEDVANCE. Dr. Tarn has 30+ years of international experience in the global LED and lighting industry. Before LEDVANCE, he managed the Business Unit LED at Samsung Electronics Co, Ltd.
Here is what I learned:
- After being in the luminaire business for only two years, LEDVANCE is one of the top 10 luminaire suppliers in Europe. Now, they are extending their portfolio range, especially from basic to more advanced products. Dr. Tarn is fully committed to invest to grow in all of his markets and he has plans to grow in the US as they have done in Europe.
- Dr. Tarn views LEDVANCE as a “startup” with $2B in turnover.
- At L+B 2016, LEDVANCE introduced their new name and had about 2.5 sq. meters of luminaires, this week, they are displaying 800 sq. meters of luminaires. Dr. Tarn stressed that they did not bring luminaires from OSRAM, but created their own line of products.
- Dr. Tarn has 3 key philosophies which drive his team’s strong spirit:
Be proactive
Speed throughout the business
Precision and do what is promised
- LEDVANCE will market products under whatever brand gives them the best advantage. For instance, in the US, lamps and luminaires will be branded under Sylvania in both the Consumer and the Electrical Distributor channel. However in the Rest of the World, they will use the brand Osram for the Distributor channel for lamps, and LEDVANCE for Luminaires. Dr. Tarn emphasizes a strong relationship with partners and distributors.
- LEDVANCE is committed to excellent customer service with 43 distribution centers across all continents and able to ship 90% of their products within 48 hours.
- In addition to the luminaires that LEDVANCE has added over the past two years, they are also entering into smart home electronics with advanced occupancy sensors, smart switches and smart sockets.
After the interview, I quickly visited their booth and saw some very strong products for both the US and EU market. Dr. Tarn is a strong and charismatic leader and seems to be well-equipped to lead LEDVANCE through their next phase of growth and I do think LEDVANCE is poised to take share in the U.S. as they have done in Europe.