This year has been a year like no other for our industry. The most influential factor in this, of course, being the COVID-19 pandemic. There were many breaking and unique developments this year, so we decided to compile a top ten list of new stories that our readers took the most interest in, many of them involving COVID-19. Ranking is determined based on total views.
1. Shipment Database
Starting off this list is the Shipment Database that EdisonReport compiled back in mid April, back when the virus had begun to take effect in North America. We sent out a message to the industry that they can let us know of their current situation and we’d add them to the list. The purpose of this database was to inform the industry and public of what companies were still shipping product and if their operations had been affected in any way by the pandemic. The response we got was enormous with hundreds of companies reaching out to be added to the list. Click here if you’d like to view the database.
2. Ushio’s 222 nm Far UV-C Successfully Tested on Humans
In August, Ushio released news about their development of UV-C technology and the testing of it on humans. The biggest takeaway was the fact that the test showed that UV-C light reduced bacterial counts while causing no harm to the person’s skin. Subjects were evaluated again after three months and showed no signs of any adverse effects that could be due to irradiation. Click here to read about this study in more detail.
3. GE Current, a Daintree company, Launches UVC Device to Inactivate Pathogen Continuously
Up next is a relatively recent development, with GE Current, a Daintree company, announcing their launch of a UVC device. This development gained a lot of attention, most likely due in no small part to the fact that such a big name in our industry stepped foot into the UVC business. The news story detailed an impressive effort taken by the company to release a product that would offer a continuous solution for improving air quality and eliminating airborne viruses. The original story can be found here.
4. Layoffs at Hubbell
Fourth on our list involves unfortunate news. So far we’ve mainly seen articles about new UV-C developments which is a staple of this pandemic, but the other unfortunate staple is layoffs. In late June we reported that Hubbell would be implementing a layoff that would affect all departments, but besides that Hubbell would not comment on any specific details. The original story can be read here.
5. CONFIRMED: Signify UV-C Kills SARS-CoV-2, the Virus that Causes COVID-19
Back to the UV-C news, number five on our list is about Signify’s progress in the field and the promising results they had to report. Signify and Boston University performed a series of tests which ultimately showed viruses were completely inactivated in seconds when exposed to specific doses of UV-C radiation. Among these affected viruses was SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This was one of the earlier news stories to break regarding the effectiveness of UV-C against the virus. The story can be read in full here.
6. Some of the Effects so Far…
At number six is an article written by EdisonReport’s editor, Randy Reid. In this article Reid wrote about the early effects of the pandemic that were starting to show in the industry. The article featured companies like Signify, Acuity Brands, and TCP that Reid reported to be experiencing negative impacts from the pandemic, mainly in the form of workforce reductions. The article can be read in full here.
7. Layoffs at Cooper Lighting Solutions
In November, EdisonReport exclusively reported that Cooper Lighting Solutions would be implementing layoffs. We were told that the layoffs were approximately 2% of the worldwide workforce. This was another case of bad news caused by the pandemic, but we are happy to say no more news of layoffs will appear in this list. Read the original article here.
8. Lumenwerx Responds to EdisonReport re: Covid-19 Claims
Another article by Randy Reid. Reid wrote this article to detail his interaction with Lumenwerx after linking to a story that reported Lumenwerx was fully operating despite active COVID cases amongst their staff. The turbulent call consisted of Lumenwerx executives claiming the contrary and that they had a document certifying they met government standards, but EdisonReport never received this document or verification of these claims. You can read the article here.
9. Hossley Lighting Associates Merges with Lighting & Power Solutions
In late July we reported on the merge between Hossley Lighting Associates and Lighting & Power Solutions. This merge set up Hossley Lighting Associates for exponential growth by being able to cover the majority of six states including Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. Click here to read in more detail.
10. Legrand Acquires Focal Point
Finishing off our list is the story of Legrand acquiring Focal Point. This story seems more “normal” and absent of COVID’s influence due to the fact that this story dropped in late February, before the pandemic really hit North America. The acquisition was Legrand’s fifth addition to its Lighting Sector and marked their elevation to a full solutions provider for the architectural lighting space. Read in more detail here.
These were the stories you all, our readers, took most interest in and tuned in for. As stated previously, COVID-19 had an immeasurable impact on our industry and the news reflected that, but thankfully this list consisted of more instances of innovation and adaptation than bad news. All of us at EdisonReport value our readers and remain committed to being the leading news source for the lighting industry. Continue to visit us at EdisonReport.com next year to see what 2021 has to offer.