Spotlight on: LED Linear

In the first of our new ‘Spotlight’ series, we’ve taken a closer look at one member of the Fagerhult family, LED Linear, part of the ‘Collection’ range of companies. We spoke to Vincent Faivre, Director Application, Product & Marketing, to discuss what makes LED Linear’s solutions so exceptional.

Hi Vincent – please tell us a little about yourself and LED Linear.

I’m based in LED Linear’s home, in Duisburg, Germany, but I’m from France. I joined LED Linear in 2016 and have been responsible for Marketing and Product Management for three years. I’ve also recently been appointed Managing Director for LED Linear France.

The company was founded in 2006, early in the LED revolution. We offer indoor and outdoor LED-based linear luminaires. Our focus is architectural lighting, projects where enhancing the architectural vision is key, but we do complete quite different projects sometimes – for example lighting for OEM Customers in various fields such as Machinery or Automotive.

The company has a garage startup legacy, but it grew fast, mainly through product innovation. Venus , for example, was the first linear flexible LED luminaire for outdoor architectural lighting. We became part of the Fagerhult Group in 2016.

What makes LED Linear different from its competitors?

To make a great luminaire, you need a great light source, by which I mean the flexible light engine that contains all the chips and provides the illumination.

We design and manufacture our own flexible light source, so it always has precisely the characteristics we need. We work closely with the chip manufacturers to pick the right packages in terms of performances and longevity which we later implement in our light engine.

We manufacture using the reel-to-reel method, which allows us to use thin flexible PCB with optimal heat dissipation. The overall result is we can achieve excellent thermal management characteristics, and do that without large heat sinks, which means the luminaires can be very small and therefore easy to implement in the architecture.

As our lights are often installed in high-profile locations, our partners need strong colour rendering and colour consistency. Having chosen a lighting solution, they need it to last. This morning I was speaking to a partner in the Netherlands, who was mentioning a project where the luminaires are all still running after 10 years. That’s what we need to ensure.

But it’s no good manufacturing great luminaires and then encountering an issue with specification or installation. We deliver globally, but support locally. We’re lucky enough to have a very strong global network in terms of branches and long-term partners.

To anyone seeking advice, I recommend going beyond just looking at datasheets. Find a supplier willing to take the time to talk to you and work with you, so you can really understand their product line.

What is the primary focus and mission for LED Linear?

Sustainability has been in the company’s DNA from the start. The firm was founded to help shift the world to a new low-energy lighting solution, LED. That battle has been won, but the sustainability focus remains.

Our small luminaires mean manufacturing footprint is low. In terms of energy use, the key is connectivity.

Of course, we might be working with a partner that has a different connectivity solution, but regardless of the system, we make sure everyone in our support network understands the huge importance of connectivity. Typically, most of the carbon footprint is in the use phase, so smarter lighting control is vital to delivering on carbon reduction.

In the coming months, LED Linear will be publishing a detailed plan for our own path to Net Zero by 2045.

You mentioned being in the Fagerhult Group. How else does that affect LED Linear?

In many ways. We and sister brands WE-EF and Atlje Lyktan held a joint event for lighting designers, because the product lines are complementary. Also, you can find the Eclipse luminaire on our website and also that of Ateljé Lyktan, because we designed it together. There is a Scandinavian design aesthetic, discernibly different from the one seen here in Germany. We realised we could both learn from the other by working together. This are just examples of many other synergies and exchanges happening between the brands.

Are there any recent or current projects that have been particularly rewarding?

Next year, Toronto will be opening Eglinton Crosstown, a new light rail line, complete with 25 new stations which we supplied the lighting for.

The lighting designer had a very specific vison, which required us to supply a mix of standard and custom elements to realise it. Our local partner spent a great deal of time onsite, ensuring the delivery logistics ran smoothly along the entire new line.

Eglinton Crosstown is important to me personally, as a major project that I’ve been involved with throughout the 7 years I’ve been with LED Linear.

Are there any future trends or opportunities in the lighting market that LED Linear is preparing for?

In Europe especially, we expect the number of renovation projects to grow, which suits us very well. The small size of the luminaires means they integrate easily in cases where space is limited, so they’re well suited for renovations, where that’s often a constraint.

Are there any product launches or expansions in the pipeline that you can share with us?

All I can say is: stay tuned! Our company was built on innovation, and we have three key launches coming next year that we’re all very excited about.

For more information on the know-how behind LED Linear’s success, click here . If you have additional questions, we’d be delighted to hear from you. Please get in touch with LED Linear or Fagerhult UK today.