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Four Taiwanese Exhibitors Win HK Int'l Lighting Prod. Award 2012

One designer claims a more friendly design in security lighting

2013/01/07 | By Ken Liu

Six lights were chosen as the winners out of nearly 140 entries in the Hong Kong International Lighting Product Award 2012, an added event of the 2012 Hong Kong International Lighting Fair (Autumn Edition), staged Oct. 27-30, with four of which being submissions by Taiwanese exhibitors: Vaxcel International Co., Ltd., Xcellent Products International Ltd. and Comet International Corp.

Vaxcell’s Chen (right) and wife with the winning security light.
Vaxcell’s Chen (right) and wife with the winning security light.

Vaxcel won with its wall-wash motion-sensing LED security light, a combination of two wall-washer lights and two security lights.

The two wall-washer lights, one facing upward and one downward, are automatically activated by ambient light; while the two security lights, one facing eastward and one westward, are motion-activated, with sensing range and light angle of the security lights being adjustable.

“Our security lighting system is unique because traditional types do not have wall washers,” said Wilton Chen, the company's chairman, who was inspired to include

wall washers that beautify Hong Kong's buildings at night when he worked as an executive for a U.S. bank in H.K. several years ago.

More Friendly
Traditional security lights are utilitarian without beauty-enhancing purpose, being only deterrent to intruders and can startle unsuspecting passersby. “Our security light does the same but the wall washers already offer ambient light to buffer the instant-on impact. And the wall washers are also a courtesy light to be more friendly in design,” Chen stressed.

The security light not only makes buildings safe and beautiful at night, but also saves

electricity. The system is energy-saving, with the wall washers powered by 3W LEDs that ideally suits energy-conscious users and outdoor beautification, Chen said.

Setting up his business 25 years ago after retiring from banking, Chen launched the light after two years of development, with the winner also patented in the United States, Taiwan and China.

Like the company's other 1,000 or so products, the security light is designed to appeal to consumers. Popular Apple products may not involve the world's most sophisticated IT technology but they attract consumers with a combination of technology and aesthetics, which are key selling points, Chen said.

The security light proves the company's 3-5% investment of annual revenue in R&D is worth it.

The company has an R&D team each in the U.S. and China, also planning to set up a similar team in its Taiwan headquarters. The U.S. and mainland Chinese teams will focus on high-end and entry markets while the Taiwan team will handle mid-range markets, according to Chen.

Xcellent’s “Star Pedant”.
Xcellent’s “Star Pedant”.

Double Winner
Xcellent, a design company founded in 2001, began to develop lighting products around two years ago, won for its “Star Pendant” and “Singleboard” lights. “Star Pendant” is made up of LED guide-blades which fan out around the light like star rays. Modular design enables each blade to stand alone as individual lamp or combined to form a lighting fixture. With minimal glare and indirect illumination, the light does not need shades and diffusers to be perfect for residential, office and commercial applications.

Xcellent’s “Singleboard”.
Xcellent’s “Singleboard”.

“Singleboard” is a single blade module of the pendant, with an integrated touch sensor that offers users four distinct brightness options, and power supplied through either an AC adapter or integrated rechargeable batteries.

Both lights take advantage of the unique guide-panel technology licensed by a U.S. company, according to the company's project manager, Moira Hsueh. The blades contain inside micro structures that evenly spread light from LEDs. “The micro structure enables viewers to see different light intensity from different angles,” she stressed.

The company has introduced 18 lighting products using the licensed technology, mostly for mood lighting. Hsueh said the company will release reading lights based on the blades in 2013. “This company designs lighting with 10-plus years of furniture and barbecue-stove experience.”

Multi-colored LED Lantern
Comet won for its unique multi-colored LED lantern. Egg-shaped, the lantern has an ergonomic grip, a body of polyethylene (PE) that is recyclable, water-proof and impact-resistant, also being IP65-rated to be ideal for outdoor applications.

Comet’s LED lantern.
Comet’s LED lantern.

The LED lamp uses rechargeable lithium batteries which can be recharged at least 300 times, according to the company's general manager, Tony Lu.

The lantern is unique for its four lighting modes: flash, change each second, change every eight seconds, and change to music. The red, green and blue LEDs enable output of 17 different colors to serve as decorative and mood lighting. Users can change the mode or color by pressing an attached button or a remote control.

According to Lu, the 30-year-old company branched out into LED lights in 2000 after years of involvement in gift lights, experience of which inspired the company to design the lantern, achieved by an R&D team with around 30 years of expertise and one-and-a-half year of developmental work.