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Rise Lighting Evolves Into Design Solution Provider as Coping Technique

2008/06/17 | By Ken Liu | RISE LIGHTING CO., LTD.

Rise Lighting Co., Ltd. saw its design portfolio significantly widen when a well- known boutique store in the Malaysian shopping complex Gardens Galleria decided in August 2007 to adopt its recessed downlight fixtures on the advice of a lighting designer.

"Our fixtures impressed the designer and owner for it effectively seals in glare from all viewing angles to deliver illumination very easy on the eye," boasts C.B. Hong, Rise Lighting's general manager. He reports that his lights outperformed those of a British supplier contracted by a mall-building authority.

Another opportunity lies ahead for Rise to prove its design ability: Hong says his firm has been invited along with big-name suppliers from Europe ,U.S.A , Australia, by an Indonesian lighting-project planner to present products this May to a group of designers, architects and lighting consultants. "This project planner wants my company to show these professionals the difference between genuine Rise products from copies since we are already a big-name lighting supplier in Southeast Asia," Hong says.

Hong says there has been a degree of intrigue behind the adoption of its products by the Indonesian project planner, who based his decision on the advice of an Austrian lighting consultant. "When the planner began shopping around for Rise products, two dealers presented themselves-one headquartered in Indonesia and the other in Singapore-but the latter claimed it is the genuine Rise dealer," Hong says.

Sizable Presence in S.E. Asia

Hong says that his lights are seen in a number of buildings in Southeast Asia, including Hilton Hotel in Kuala Lumpur and The tourist's center of Putrajaya "Many of our Asian customers are public companies. We began exporting to S.E. Asian nations with large Chinese communities," he says. Rise Lighting began tapping the S.E. Asian market a few years after it was opened in 1987.

However, over the past years the company has shifted marketing emphasis to Europe, which today accounts for some 55% of sales, with Rise already being a registered brand in Europe.

Also Adidas, the global sportswear brand, may contract Rise to supply lighting for its mainland China stores.

Hong stresses that his company has transformed into a lighting-engineering design provider from an exclusive lighting maker since 1992 due to fierce competition in the pure-manufacturing segment, which has been plagued by underselling from mainland China. "Actually, we considered transformation shortly after our establishment because we knew pure manufacturing would one day be dominated by low-cost economies. Besides, Taiwan's lighting industry needs brand-name representation globally," he says.

Confident of his company's new position in the lighting industry, Hong touts that Rise Lighting is capable of advising project planners. "A consultant works with planners and architects in terms of professional analysis-offering solutions to project budgeting, lighting-engineering designs, and naming suitable suppliers," Hong stresses. "Usually, consultants are independent professionals outside manufacturers," he adds.

Global Standard Compliant

Rise Lighting built its design capability on a solid basis of manufacturing experience gained over its first 10 years of operation. "In the first 10 years we paid particular attention to manufacturing quality, product safety, and development," Hong says. The company set up a stringent standard process to enhance production efficiency and product quality, which has helped Rise Lighting to comply to UL, CSA, TUV, CE, and ISO9001 and 9002 standards. "We check all incoming material and components so as to deliver defect-free products," Hong emphasizes.

Rise Lighting's success in the early days in Taiwan is attested by its popularity-with Mercuries Corp., Watsons Inc. and Tolin Department Store all contracting Rise as a lighting supplier.

Rise's accountability was well illustrated in a deal with IKEA, the Swedish furnishings brand: "When IKEA's Taiwan branch found the lacquer on our lighting fixtures did not conform to its need, we rebuilt the fixtures at our own cost," Hong says.

Rise's quality-consciousness was set early on when it decided to be loyal to its roots as a maker of commercial lighting, which usually requires higher quality standards than does household lighting. Visiting a European trade show likely further reinforced its mission to be a quality-oriented lighting maker: "Around 15 years ago and after visiting a lighting show in Hannover, Germany, I instilled into my company the determination to make products satisfactory to European buyers, because Europe has cultivated many century-old lighting manufacturers still dominating world trend today, which is likely due to their consistent stressing of technical prowess," Hong recalls.

Different Location, Same Quality

Despite having moved production to mainland China, Rise Lighting still keeps its quality-oriented policy. Its two mainland factories are equipped with highly integrated production capability, including LED printed-circuit board soldering lines, life testing systems, punching machines, wire-cutting machines, lampshade spinning machines, welding machines, drilling machines, aluminum cutters, tooling machines, swing beam shears, grinding machines, and bending machines. The two factories adopt EN60598 industrial standards, one of the world's most stringent governing electrical products, including lamps.

Rise Lighting has kept its R&D firmly based in Taiwan along with its head office. The company has continually upgraded its R&D strength especially after having started to emphasize design rather than only manufacturing. "Our R&D process includes sketching drafts, technical drawing, three-dimension drawing, prototyping,tooling,testing, packing design, B.O.M , S.O.P, S.I.P, " Hong states.

Far beyond hype and theories, Rise Lighting has a well-equipped R&D laboratory that includes computer-aid design software such as Solid Works, Photopia, AUTOCAD, and CORELDRW, as well as testers and analyzers such as EDXRF Spectrometer for RoHS examination, salt spray tester, thermal testing system, and IP testing equipment. A photometric system is to be installed in 2008, with the dark room already completed.

Serious R&D Program

Seven specialists, including a vice general manager, handle Rise Lighting's R&D programs. The team has worked with the Electronics and Optoelectronics Research Laboratories and Energy and Resources Laboratories of the government-backed Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) on many projects, like LED lamps.

"In each of the past 15 years we have spent around NT$5 million [US$156,000 at US$1:NT$32] on R&D and have won over 100 patents," Hong reports, adding that each new-product program costs at least NT$10 million (US$312,500) for mold development. "That's because each program contains a family of products, not just a single item," he stresses.

The company currently has a wide-ranging line with hundreds of specifications sorted into low-voltage halogen light, reflective light, project light, recessed lights, track lights, spotlights, furnishing and kitchen lights, outdoor lights vanity light, wall light, pedant light and LED light categories. "The toughest job is to set up the capability to make so many lighting products that are shown with detailed specifications in volumes of catalogs; but the unenviable task is necessary as it shows our years of experience gleaned in industry. Although we have spent at least 11 years to achieve our current R&D and sales capabilities, such scale of operation may be realized in one year given enough capital, which we have substituted with experience," Hong says.

Close Interactions

Backed by a sales team of 17 specialists including Hong himself, the general manager is proud of his company's marketing capability, saying that Rise Lighting is one the few among Taiwan lighting manufacturers outfitted with both manufacturing and marketing capabilities. Randy Lee, Hong's assistant sales manager, says the specialists frequently travel abroad to stay updated with customers' needs and then discuss such needs with R&D specialists before developing products. "Such close interaction between the specialists enables improved communication and mutual understanding to minimize the possibility of working on unrealistic product plans," Lee says.

The sales team is promoting the company's "Rise" brand for global presence and "Abini" brand for the mainland Chinese market. "We aspire to building Rise Lighting into a century-old enterprise with brand names that can compete as equals against any global leader in the lighting market," Hong concludes.

RISE Lighting Co., Ltd.

2nd Fl., 7 Wuchuan 1st Rd., Hsinchuang, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan 242

Tel: 886-2-2299-0607 (5 Lines)

Fax:886-2-2299-0615, 2298-1677

E-mail:randy@rise-lighting.com.tw

http://www.rise-lighting.com