February 17, 2023
5 Things to Know: Week Ending February 18
What do streetlights, a bulk sack of rice, a full-grown border collie and a microwave oven have in common? (see #3 for answer)
Here's a roundup of some of the week's happenings curated to help lighting people stay informed.
1. Signify CEO Spends Four Days in Egypt
Signify CEO, Eric Rondolat, visited Egypt this week to explore potential partnerships and support Egypt's vision for energy efficiency with Signify's smart lighting solutions.
Over the course of four days, Rondolat met with government officials, notable partners, & industry leaders to explore more energy-efficient solutions to save electricity, discuss the market sustainability and technology ambitions, in addition to further explore potential partnerships to support Egypt’s sustainable development goals.
While there, Rondolat signed a memorandum of understanding with multiple businesses including Hassan Allam Holding, one of Egypt’s largest engineering, construction, investment and development companies.
2. Here’s how WESCO & Grainger did in 2022:
Two of North America's largest distributors reported their 2022 financial results during the last week:
WESCO full year 2022 results:
- Record net sales of $21.4 billion, up 18% YOY
- Organic sales growth of 18% YOY
- Record operating profit of $1.4 billion; operating margin of 6.7%
- Record adjusted EBITDA of $1.7 billion, up 47% YOY; record adjusted EBITDA margin of 8.1%, up 160 basis points YOY
- Record gross margin of 21.8%, up 100 basis points YOY
Grainger full year 2022 results:
- Grew sales to $15.2 billion, up 16.9%, or 19.3% on a daily, constant currency basis
- Realized reported operating margin of 14.5%, up 265 basis points, or 14.4% on an adjusted basis, up 255 basis points
- Delivered diluted EPS of $30.06 on a reported basis, up 51.5%, or $29.66 on an adjusted basis, up 49.5%
- Produced $1.3 billion in operating cash flow and returned $949 million to Grainger shareholders through dividends and share repurchases
3. Heads up!
British newspaper, The Guardian, is reporting that New Zealand’s capital city is being plagued by hundreds of potentially deadly street lights that have begun dropping without warning and smashing on the footpath below. The city council in Wellington is advising that residents “would be seriously injured or killed” by falling lights weighing up to 15kg (33 lbs.)
Wellington city council spokesperson Richard MacLean said the council was aware of the problem. The lamp heads are equivalent in weight to a bulk sack of rice, full-grown border collie or a microwave oven. Yikes.
4. Seeing Red: Nichia files new lawsuit
Global LED component leader, Nichia, has shined a light on its intellectual property surrounding narrowband red phosphors.
The company has filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the Tokyo District Court, seeking damages and to enjoin trading company CoreStaff Co., Ltd., from selling products from the F90 family of LEDs made by U.S.-based Bridgelux, Inc.
The asserted patent in the lawsuit, Japanese Patent No. 4974310, as well as related patents owned by Nichia in the U.S., Germany, and China, relates to LEDs incorporating KSF (PFS) phosphors. KSF phosphors enable efficient and reliable LEDs that deliver excellent light quality with accurate color rendering.
5. Professional Lighting Education – University of Colorado Boulder
Lighting people can build their knowledge and skills in four days with the Rocky Mountain Lighting Academy’s Short Course. Here are the details:
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Get ahead in the fast-changing lighting industry with this popular bootcamp-style experience on the University of Colorado’s Boulder campus from June 1-4, 2023.
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General sessions cover lighting fundamentals and lighting design along with the latest developments in technology, color quality, and light and health.
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Technical Track students dive deeper into photometry, optics, and luminaire design while Design Track students gain practical experience with developing design concepts.
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RMLA emphasizes hands-on learning activities and limits the class size to ensure a high-quality experience.
Early-bird registrants by March 31 save $200 and group discounts are available.
Register today at colorado.edu/rmla.
