Wednesday, August 20, 2014: iLux Electricals is a start-up that aims to grow at a CAGR of 30 per cent, year-on-year. In a conversation with Kartiki Negi of Electronics Bazaar,Sandeep Agrawal, director, iLux Electricals Pvt Ltd, speaks about the company’s innovative products and the challenges being faced in the absence of an LED manufacturing ecosystem.
EB: When did you start the company and what were your objectives?
We started the company early this year in Mumbai, and our objective is to provide India with highly energy efficient world class lighting solutions. At the moment, we do not manufacture any LED lights in India. We represent a world class brand, and import lights and lighting components. We market LED lighting products made by Germany-based Vossloh-Schwabe, which is one of the leading European lighting components manufacturers. However, iLux Electricals will soon launch its own brand, called ‘iLux’, for LED lights. We target a 30 per cent growth, year on year.
We do manufacture all kinds of LED drivers, however, ranging from 2 W-150 W constant current/ constant voltage, dimmable, non-dimmable, phase cut, DALI, 1-10 V, etc, for various applications. These drivers are highly energy efficient.
We also market LED lights from Vossloh Schwabe, which manufactures high quality LED modules that are best suited for the retail space, offices, commercial establishments and restaurants. These high quality LED modules can achieve up to 10,000 lumens, depending on the applications.
EB: What are the LED products you offer?
Our product range includes LED panel lights, LED downlights, LED bulbs and candle lights, LED tube fittings, LED spotlights like MR 16, GU10 and GU5.3, as well as LED intelligent ceiling lights.
EB: Tell us about the innovative products in your portfolio?
LED lighting products can have very innovative applications. Some of these lights come with Bluetooth technology that can play music, dim the lights from 4 W to 25 W, and change the colour temperature as per the user’s mood. Another innovative product is our LED USB rechargeable touch table light. It comes with an anti-glare design, which is soothing for the eyes. It has three-level adjustable brightness that consumes only 1.5 W of electricity.
We also offer an extra bright and extremely flexible LED ‘Flexi’ light that consumes 70 per cent less energy than glass neon lights. It can be moulded into any shape required, can be cut to a minimum length of 10 cm and made as long as one wants to (one single LED Flexi is available in 50 m length, without any joint). It is suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications, architectural outline decoration, walkways, parks, gardens, landscaping, swimming pools and other under water use, city lighting, on façades, billboards, etc. These flexible lights are available in dome and flat versions with various colour options like red, green, blue, yellow, white/warm white and RGB with up to an IP 68 rating.
EB: How much has the demand for LED lights increased in the last two years?
In India, the LED market is growing at a CAGR of 40 per cent. The price of LED lights are reducing every year and the gap between conventional lights technology and LEDs have narrowed down. The acceptance of LEDs in the Indian market has increased in the past two years.
EB: What are the challenges you face while doing business in India?
One of the biggest challenges is the lack of awareness about LED lights and the absence of an LED manufacturing ecosystem in India. Our dependence on imports for good quality LED chips and electronic components is a major challenge when manufacturing good quality products in the country.
The presence of several Chinese suppliers operating in the unorganised sector, who smuggle in cheap and poor quality LEDs, has ruined the image of quality LED lights among the Indian consumers. The government needs to enforce LED standards and impose anti-dumping duties, especially on Chinese products. This will encourage Indian manufacturers to produce good quality LED products.
EB: Are you looking for partners, such as distributors, systems integrators, etc?
Yes, we are aggressively expanding our operations, and hence, looking for channel partners on a pan-India basis to promote global brands as well as our iLux brand.
Electronics Bazaar, South Asia’s No.1 Electronics B2B magazine
