The Progress Report is a highlight of the IES Annual Conference, providing a glimpse into the future and revealing the lighting industry’s current direction. Designed to report significant developments in lighting products, publications, tools or research to the membership each year, the 2022 Progress Report this week in New Orleans featured around 80 recipients of the IES Progress Seal.
A committee of 27 reviewers met virtually to evaluate the 125 submittals for the 2022 Progress Report. Committee Chair Shaun Fillion lead the unusually small core of committee members on hand at the IES Annual Conference to produce a very good 90-minute presentation, including product demos as well as skits that aim to gently mock our industry, poking fun at our self-regard. The 2022 Report kicked off with a valuable trend analysis from long time Progress Report committee member Mark Lien, highly respected for his work in the lighting community on industry relations, education and future vision.
Lien’s trend analysis provided context for the 80 or so submittals accepted for the 2022 IES Progress Report. He noted 2022’s low submittal count compared to the heyday of the LED revolution, asking whether innovation is in decline in our industry. Apart from innovations in the UV and Material Transparency categories, the submittals selected in 2022 were product refinements: incremental improvements, new features, smallest size for product type, combination of features, highest lumen output or highest efficacy for product type. Lien pointed out 2008-2012 as the peak 5 years for LED innovations submitted to the IES Progress Report, and noted that consolidation among the major lighting manufacturers is reducing their combined contribution in submittals. The “Top 6” manufacturers in the 2008-2012 period (Acuity, Philips, Cooper, GE, Hubbell, Osram/Sylvania) contributed on average 53% of submittals; in 2022 the “Top 6″ (now as Acuity, Signify, Cooper, Current, amsOSRAM, LEDVANCE) contributed just 26% of submittals.
Categories for the 2022 IES Progress Report include: LED Chips and Modules, LED Replacement Lamps, Laser Source, Other LED, Downlights, Linear, Wallwash, Track, Suspended, Surface Mount, Cove, Under Cabinet, High Bay, Other Indoor, Outdoor Bollards, Roadway, Floodlights, Other Outdoor, Healthcare, Germicidal, Power Supplies and Drivers, Controls, Life Safety, Accessories, Lighting Systems, Research, Publications, and Design Tools.
Many of the submitting companies participated in the tabletop exhibits that immediately followed the Progress Report and the conference attendees were enthusiastic in engaging with the exhibitors and their product demonstrations. Watch for the full 2022 Progress Report listing to be published in the November 2022 issue of LD+A.