July 22, 2023
5 Things to Know: Week Ending July 22
A lighting company emerges from bankruptcy. Plus, an update on Orion's $9.6 million military lighting project.
Here's a roundup of some of the week's happenings curated to help lighting people stay informed.
1. Cooper Lighting makes brand tweaks
Subscribers to the inside.lighting InfoLetter know that we follow hundreds of lighting agent line cards. In recent weeks, we've observed PrentaLux being added as a brand en masse while the Trellix name was being deleted en masse. Here’s the explanation aided by a friendly Cooper Lighting spokesperson:
PrentaLux is now an official brand
The PrentaLux line of 3D printed lighting products is a standalone brand at Cooper Lighting Solutions. It was previously a product family tucked under the architectural brand Shaper.
Trellix gets renamed
Cooper Lighting informed us "We’re renaming our Trellix Smart Space Platform as WaveLinx CORE, and repositioning it as part of our Commercial Buildings Digital Connected System, WaveLinx." This is all part of WaveLinx CORE which leverages the data generated by WaveLinx sensors to deliver meaningful, actionable insights for business owners and building owners/operators.
We also learned that the Trellix brand is being repositioned to outdoor network lighting solutions and more details will be available soon.
Photo: inside.lighting visited the PrentaLux display at LightFair 2022 in Las Vegas.
2. Quoizel emerges from bankruptcy as standalone company
Decorative lighting manufacturer Quoizel has announced its emergence as an independent company, following a February bankruptcy filing by Quoizel and its former parent firm, NBG Home.
The acquisition of Quoizel by NBG Home occurred in 2019, which led the lighting company to be part of NBG Home's numerous subsidiaries. However, financial instability struck and in February 2023 NBG Home and its subsidiaries, including Quoizel, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
The filing followed a "pre-packaged plan" which laid out a detailed strategy for restructuring, intending to infuse capital and curtail debt. The process has now concluded with Quoizel rising anew as a standalone company. The new ownership of the firm rests with a group of investors, spearheaded by KKR, a credit funds and accounts manager who participated in Quoizel's financials during its previous ownership by NBG Home.
3. How red light can affect your sleep
In a recent article, CNN delved into the subject of light and its effects on health, including an interview with Mariana Figueiro, PhD., the director of the Mount Sinai Light and Health Research Center in New York City.
Red light therapy's supposed benefits for sleep lack solid evidence. While blue light disrupts sleep by suppressing melatonin, research on red light and sleep is inconclusive.
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Red light therapy aids in skin health, wound healing, and pain management.
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Blue light from screens and the sun hinders melatonin release during the day.
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Limited studies on red light and sleep show mixed results.
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Red light might reduce sleep inertia if used before sleep, but it doesn't directly promote sleep.
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Red light is less disruptive to sleep compared to blue light.
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Minimizing light exposure is best for sleep, but if needed, red light might be a better choice than other sources.
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For chronic sleep issues, consulting a specialist for proper treatment is advised.
4. Orion begins work on $9.6 million military project
In December, Orion Energy Systems announced that it had secured $9.6 million in turnkey LED lighting retrofit projects for five U.S. Department of Defense facilities in Europe. This week, the company has reportedly started the installation. According to the company, the turnkey retrofit program includes site audits, engineering, project management, replacement of over 60,000 fixtures with its highly efficient LED lighting systems and final system commissioning.
These projects were secured through a global ESCO (Energy Service Company) based in Europe. Following initial activities in Q4’23 and Q1’24, Orion continues to expect to complete the project over the balance of its current fiscal year which ends March 31, 2024.
5. Douglas Lighting Controls Revenue
If you chose to not wade through yesterday’s excruciating 957-word article Universal Douglas’ Abrupt Shutdown Seemingly Planned for Two Months you may have missed an interesting factoid that was part of the article: the three year sales history of Douglas Lighting Controls.
When we saw how much money was owed to Douglas Lighting Controls agents for unspecified periods of time we imagined that the company’s sales were north of $25 million USD, possibly north of $30 million.
What we learned is that the company generated $18.9 million USD in its last fiscal year ended March 31, 2023. In 2021 and 2022 the company generated approximately $17 million USD.
