Gemma Lighting celebrate after being shortlisted for 4 business awards!

UK LED lighting manufacturer Gemma Lighting is celebrating after being shortlisted for four different awards at the Portsmouth News Business Excellence Awards.

2012 was a fantastic year for Gemma Lighting, as the company went from strength to strength; smashing the previous sales year’s figures and securing large export orders to the likes of Dubai and the Falklands Islands.

This amazing year has seen Gemma nominated for Small / Medium Business of the Year, Exporter of the Year, Innovation of the Year and Achievement of the year in the annual awards event.

It is the first year Gemma had been entered into the awards, and with no other company being shortlisted for more awards than Gemma Lighting, it is a fine achievement for the Portsmouth-based LED lighting specialists.

The Gemma Lighting team

The News Business Excellence Awards are now in their 11^th year and honour all those companies which help make the Portsmouth region a success.

The gala awards evening will be held at the Guildhall Portsmouth on Friday 15^th February and will be hosted by Fred Dinenage MBE.

Keep up to date with news from Gemma Lighting and the awards ceremony through the website at www.gemmalighting.com/news and on Twitter.

Mark Chivers joins the team at Gemma Lighting Limited

UK LED Lighting manufacturers Gemma Lighting Limited have recently appointed Mark Chivers as their new Sales Office Manager.

Mark Chivers (left) has joined Sales Director Mark Major (right) and the rest of the Gemma Lighting team

Mark joins the Portsmouth-based LED lighting specialists having had eight years experience in the lighting industry at Anglepoise Limited, where he ran the sales office and supervised sales for both the UK and US markets.

Joining the company at a busy time, Mark will oversee the day-to-day operation of the sales office and will report to Sales Director Mark Major and Managing Director Craig Manuel.

Gemma Lighting have gone from strength to strength in recent years, having recorded over a million pounds worth of sales last year and having surpassed that figure already in the first five months of this trading year.

With recent exports to Dubai and the Falkland Islands adding to the list of locations where Gemma Lighting LED products can be found, Gemma’s range of LED Street, Flood and High/Low bay lighting are all proving a popular choice for a varying range of customers, from universities to police stations, hotels to hospitals.

Gemma Lighting Limited was established to create an innovative concept for environmentally friendly lighting requirements. Drawing on vast experience of LED Technology since 2003, the team at Gemma Lighting have been designing, developing and manufacturing a new generation of LED lighting solutions for numerous applications, both indoors and out.

For more on the company visit the website at www.gemmalighting.com.

How LEDs can make blackouts a thing of the past

Hurricane Sandy recently plunged New York, one of the biggest cities in the world, into total darkness as power outings hit the Big Apple in one of the biggest storms to hit the east coast in years.

New York residents make their
way through the blackout

The super storm flooded tunnels, streets and subway lines, cutting the power supply in the city and its surrounding areas as President Obama declared a state of emergency in New York as even now it continues to recover.

In the UK meanwhile, safe from the effects of such tropical weather patterns, local authorities up and down the country are facing a nightmare of a very different nature – the choice between making vital cost-cutting measures and ensuring the safety of local residents.

That’s how many see the decision to switch off thousands of street lights in order to save money on energy bills.

Many local residents have experienced a blackout usually in the early hours of the morning, as the cost of keeping the street lighting network running all night is proving too much for local councils already under pressure to trim costs due to diminished government funding.

A Daily Telegraph investigation that took place on the day the clocks went back an hour found more than 3,000 miles of motorways and trunk roads were completely unlit, and a further 47 miles of motorway have their lights switched off between midnight and 5am.

Earlier this year Nottinghamshire County Council announced it would turn off 90,000 street lights in order to save an estimated £1.25m, following Derbyshire County Council’s similar decision to save more than £400,000 a year by switching off street lights in rural areas between midnight and 5.30am. An investigation by the Daily Mail in fact found out that 21 out of 27 county councils in England were turning street lights off at certain times, or in some cases entirely, back in February.

Jupiter LED Street Light www.gemmalighting.com

More than the convenience of having light through to the early hours, there is an argument that local road users will not feel safe when councils plunge them into darkness in order to save money.

Pedestrians are at particular risk - according to governmental crime statistics the number of personal robberies occurring in England and Wales has fallen progressively in the last four years but in 2009/10, the most recent year available, there were still nearly 80,000 cases recorded by the Police. The same can be said of sexual offences, with over 50,000 incidents reported to Police between July 2011 and June 2012. With pedestrians highly likely to be targets for both these crimes, effective and reliant street lighting is clearly vital to ensure their safety.

But how can councils balance the need for this safety with their tighter budgetary requirements and rising energy prices? By changing the type of lighting these authorities use, their street lighting could in fact remain on throughout the night whilst seeing their energy bills reduced thanks to more efficient LED street lighting.

LEDs convert more power to light, as opposed to traditional lighting sources that lose power through excess heat, and with no filament to burn out they are more reliable and can save users money on maintenance bills.

With a life span of up to 100,000 hours LED street lights offer long-term solutions for financially conscious councils. Schemes, such as the Green Lease for LED lighting, are even available whereby purchasers can offset the capital expenditure of LED replacement lights by making repayments through the savings they make in energy costs.

As part of the Telegraph investigation the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said: "The presence of lighting not only reduces the risk of traffic accidents but also their severity. Surveys have shown that the public are in favour of street lighting as a way of improving road safety and that, if anything, it needs to be improved in some areas. There are economic and environmental reasons why some organisations may wish to reduce the amount of lighting. However there are safety reasons why lighting needs to be available."

With new LED technology, road safety and cost-efficiency need no longer be separate considerations for hundreds of authorities up and down the country, and the blackouts that are concerning so many, can be a thing of the past.

Have the street lights in your area been switched off? Give us your thoughts in the comments box below.

LuxLive 2012: Mark's diary

It’s a busy time here at Gemma Lighting as the days grow darker and November, known as the ‘buying month’ in the lighting industry, hits us like a brisk winter chill.

As if that weren’t enough, November is also when we see LuxLive hit our calendars, the biggest exhibition event in the lighting industry.

Not wanting to miss out on the debates and latest industry news, Gemma Lighting were represented at Earls Court by our marketing administrator Mark Allaway, who shares his thoughts with us in this special LuxLive blog:

“Being a newcomer into the LED lighting industry isn’t easy.

For the past few weeks I’ve been learning my lumens from my CRIs, my LEDs from my metal halides and my high bays from my low bays.

Travelling up to Earls Court London for the biggest exhibition in the lighting industry, LuxLive, last week, I was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed ready to get a more in-depth understanding of what the issues in the industry really were.

London's Earls Court hosted the event

I had already discussed with my colleagues at Gemma Lighting some of the issues – the issue of low quality products infiltrating the market at low prices and giving LEDs a bad name. The issue of ‘hero numbers’, where sales personnel talk up what their products can do whilst ignoring and concealing their obvious downsides. And the issue of stoicism in the way some industries think about their lighting setup, being confused by new LED technology and not wanting to change from their fluorescent or sodium-set ways.

Thoughts in my head during the train ride to London surrounded what other lighting manufacturers were doing to combat these problems, were these issues steadily being resolved, and what did the future hold for LED lighting?

The last question was answered to some degree upon my entrance to Brompton Hall, where I saw the number of stands, exhibitors and visitors at LuxLive 2012. I was thoroughly impressed with the hustle and bustle of the venue considering it had only been open a matter of minutes when I arrived. Some had already begun their caffeine intake for the day.

The Caterham F1 car at LuxLive 2012

After a quick look at the winners of the Lux Awards from day one, I made my first lap of the circuit, taking in the different shapes, sizes and colours of the exhibiting stands on display, passing (as you do) a Dalek and a formula one car on the way - LED lighting car.

Then I hastily made my way to the Design Clinic Live, where Lux Review publisher Gordon Routledge was speaking on how LEDs are reshaping the lighting business. Gordon spoke of how LEDs are progressing into areas where they have not traditionally been considered as relevant options – the ability of some LED products to take on the dreaded T5 ceiling light in offices being cited as one example.

Gordon also talked about how customers that are engaging with the lighting industry now are very different customers than before. Previously you may have spoken to the CEO or MD or perhaps the branch manager when discussing new lighting solutions, but now you may be speaking to the facilities manager or the environmental officer, meaning the benefits of switching to carbon-reducing energy efficient LED lighting is already known to the customer, and therefore reducing the barrier that educating the customer on how the technology works used to prove.

LEDs are being used for all sorts...

With the average age of lighting in the UK reported to be 18 years, Gordon said, more efficient lighting technologies are opening up more possible uses for lighting itself. The examples that followed included the wonderful to the wacky – from a clever use of lighting on handrails in a pedestrian subway to a toilet with a bowl that was backlit with bright white LED light.

Wishing to remove that image from my mind, and having a little time before the next session scheduled in my plan for the day, I decided to tour the stands a little more, seeing what some of the biggest organisations around had in the pipeline. I noted that even though LuxLive was a demonstration of what the whole lighting industry could do, LEDs were so dominant, both in the number of products on display and the number of times they appeared in the debates and seminars. LED Street Lighting was on show on many stands, with chips, drivers and bulbs all being showcased as well.

It was with some intrigue that I attended the next session in the Design Clinic Live, titled ‘LEDs: What they don’t tell you in the spec sheets’. Rather than highlighting the downfalls of LEDs as the title suggested, this session was actually about how consumers can better understand what spec sheets are telling them, and how to understand the figures. The Ska rating system from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) was highlighted as a way of comparing LED lighting, as well as the criteria found on the Energy Technology List (ETL). Fittings that comply with the latter may be entitled to tax refunds, further advancing the appeal of LED to customers.

Gemma Lighting has worked with several
Marriott hotels on  LED Car Park Lighting

Hotels and their use of LEDs was next under the spotlight, and I was interested in the considerations that hotels go through when choosing their lighting setups. It may not be rocket science but subtle changes in the way lights are installed, angled and coloured can have a major aesthetic impact on a hotel environment, and all three factors can really affect the mood of the room, a key consideration in areas such as bars, rooms and restaurants for example. Examples were shown whereby poor lighting products or lack of maintenance had led to instances where the brand of the hotel itself was at risk of being damaged. The aforementioned issue regarding industries that were reluctant to make the change to LEDs rang true here also – but it would appear this is changing.

After a break for lunch I made a particular note to grab a seat early for a session in the Tech Theatre, for a talk entitled ‘LEDs: Under the bonnet’. As a newcomer this, I had hoped, would prove to be a good test to what I had learned so far and may provide some extra technical nuggets of knowledge for me. I was not disappointed. I learnt about the dangers of ‘colour shift’ in poor quality products, regulatory tests such as LM-80 and TM-21 and more about the key components of LEDs.

Mark brought this back from his busy day!

My final talk of the day was again in the Tech Theatre, with a discussion on light colour and quality of LEDs. There was more talk of lab tests and the lumens-per-watt figures that are being achieved behind closed doors, the different mixes that can create bright white LED light aside from the traditional mix of naturally blue LEDs and yellow phosphor, and an important point on colour rendering index, and how having a top score of Ra100 may not mean that a particular LED light is the best choice for a certain project.

Before the day was out I met with several of the lighting publications who were also in attendance and was able to speak with some lighting enthusiasts who had come all the way from Germany to be at LuxLive on the tube journey back to Waterloo.

All in all my busy day at LuxLive was a great eye-opener and great timing for this LED rookie to gain an insight into the industry.

The scale of LuxLive and wealth of knowledge and debate on show this year makes me certain that LuxLive 2013 will be an event to remember for LED Lighting Manufacturers and users alike.”

- Mark A.

What do you make of Mark's account of the day? Were you at LuxLive too? Leave us your comments below.

LuxLive, biggest lighting exhibition in the UK, starts today!

Visitors to Earls Court will be treated to a two-day extravaganza starting from today as the UK’s biggest lighting exhibition, LuxLive, comes to London.

LuxLive will be at Earls Court on November 6-7

On November 6^th and 7^th thousands of exhibitors from all across the lighting industry will pack Brompton Hall for the event organised by the Lighting Industry Federation and LUX magazine.

Gemma Lighting Limited will be attending the many seminars and debates on display to ensure our LED products are right up to date with the latest technological developments in the industry.

Designers, manufacturers, consulting engineers, contractors and distributors will all be in attendance with seminars, debates, product demos and master classes spread across the two days.

Last year almost 4,000 people visited LuxLive and with free registration even more are expected this time round.

With so many industry names in attendance it is an apt time to discuss some of the key issues within the industry, and the programme for both days certainly provides the arena.

Today topics such as The Green Deal, lighting within the healthcare industry, and the use of LEDs in emergency lighting are up for debate, with LEDs again in the spotlight tomorrow - with clinics on how the lighting industry has been changed by LED technology, how hotels use LED lighting, and a debate on the use of LEDs in the office.

Case studies will also look at how impressive lighting projects over this past year have been carried out, such as the Olympic Park, the Shard and the London Underground.

And with regulatory updates, finance news and the industry’s biggest publications on site visitors and exhibitors alike are sure to have a busy 48 hours.

LED Street Lighting Jupiter 72

It’s a busy time for the UK lighting industry, with November known to some as ‘the buying month’, and the LUX awards also taking place on Tuesday.

Titles such as ‘Manufacturer of the Year’, ‘Award for Urban Lighting’ and ‘Young Lighter of the Year Award’ will be handed out at the ceremony taking place at the Natural History Museum.

Furthermore, with the clocks recently returning to Greenwich Mean Time the days are growing shorter and light is fading faster, another reason this time of year is so important for those in the lighting industry.

High streets need street lights to keep shoppers safe in the busy shopping period running up to Christmas, and businesses need better flood light coverage to provide workers with visibility later on in the day – all the while these lights need to be reliable and energy efficient in these tough economic times.

With LED featured in a large part of the LuxLive schedule on both days, the benefits of using technology such as LED Street Lighting and LED Flood Lights are sure to be a talking point that will resonate with those at the exhibition and beyond.

For more details on the event visit www.luxlive.co.uk.

Will you be going to LuxLive? Comment below and let us know.

Gemma Lighting MD invited to give lecture in Dragons’ Lair

Craig Manuel, managing director at Gemma Lighting Limited, has been invited for the second year running to give a lecture to students at the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy at Chichester College this Wednesday.

Peter Jones, entrepreneur and star of popular BBC show Dragons’ Den, set up the academy in 2009 to boost the chances of young people starting their own businesses, and Chichester is just one of over 30 sites the Academy now runs.

Craig will be giving a lecture on how to set up a successful company, using all his experience as head of successful LED lighting specialists Gemma Lighting Limited, based in Portsmouth.

Gemma Lighting, founded in 2009, has gone on to become a multi-million pound business, and Craig is hoping that his experience can be passed on to the next generation of successful entrepreneurs for the second consecutive year.

Peter Jones presents Rob with the keys to his new Alfa Romeo

One such youngster is 18-year-old Rob Nunn from Chichester College, who was one of the students present for Craig’s visit last year and went on to be awarded a top honour by the Dragon himself back in July.

Craig said: “It was a pleasure to offer advice to Rob Nunn and the 2012 students at Chichester College and I was delighted when I heard that Dragons’ Den entrepreneur Peter Jones CBE had presented Rob Nunn with the highest accolade ‘National Entrepreneur of the Year’.

“I am really looking forward to meeting the candidates for 2013 this week and hope the group contains another winner!”

The Academy, formerly known as the National Enterprise Academy, was delighted to welcome Craig back for a second year, and business enterprise manager at the academy Tara Lovejoy said: “The students last year really enjoyed Craig Manuel’s session and found it really useful.”

Gemma Lighting provides LED solutions for car parks, roads, warehouses, cold stores and more, reducing carbon emissions and saving money on energy and maintenance costs.

For more information visit www.gemmalighting.com.

Leave your messages to Craig in the comments box below.

Why LED lighting is key to effective CCTV systems

On November 15th local communities in the UK will have a chance to change the way their area is policed with the first ever Police and Crime Commissioner elections.

Highlighted by a proactive television campaign, the vote will see 41 new positions created whereby new ‘PCCs’ will oversee police budgets, prioritise crime prevention and have the power to hire and fire chief constables.

‘Jephson Gardens CCTV’

by lydia_shiningbrightly

Available under a Creative Commons Attribution Licence 2.0 at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lydiashiningbrightly/7247538048

Before elections begin next month, voters are being asked which crimes they want to see cracked down on most, choosing between the likes of violent crime, anti-social behaviour and hate crimes.

In a current poll taking place on the Channel 4 website, the biggest change most voters want to see is an improved presence and increased visibility of ‘policing on the beat’. But with a burglary estimated to occur every 40 seconds in the UK, more than half of them occurring at night, further solutions are required to keep homes and businesses safe from thieves.

Ever since the first installation at a London train station in 1961, Closed Circuit Television, or CCTV as it is better known, has become a mainstay of crime prevention through the country. By 1996 all but one of England’s major cities had CCTV systems installed in their city centres, and more than three quarters of the Government’s total crime prevention budget was spent on CCTV.

But despite being a routine piece of security equipment today, the quality and ability of CCTV systems to prevent crime and bring criminals to justice varies. One factor that can work against CCTV cameras is poor visibility, even though some high-end systems may have infa-red or night vision capabilities, the image of a suspect that is produced can fail to stand up to scrutiny in a court of law and lead to vandals and thieves escaping punishment.

One such incident occurred in Newhaven, Sussex whereby three vandals that had caused over £1,000 worth of damage to a party store had been caught on CCTV, but the glare from nearby fluorescent street lights meant Sussex Police were unable to identify the trio.

CCTV manager at the force, Chief Inspector Roger Fox, told The Argus: “CCTV in Sussex is an effective tool for tackling crime and anti social behaviour. There are many factors that can impact on the effectiveness of CCTV, and the proximity of street lighting can be both a positive and negative feature.”

Many modern day CCTV system providers are realising these downfalls, and more emphasis has been placed in recent years on better lighting coverage to supplement the cameras, with many security firms turning to LED lighting for the solution.

Spitfire 24 LED Flood Lights

LEDs provide bright white light comparable to day light, therefore providing the ideal visual perception and picture balance to achieve clear images. The ability to customise the angle of the LEDs within the light also mean they can be ideally manufactured to suit specific areas in need of security - so warehouses, car parks and interiors can all be suitably covered.

Evolution Security, who have been working with Portsmouth-based LED lighting manufacturer Gemma Lighting LTD, believe LED lighting to be the ideal partner to CCTV systems, and have utilised the new technology for the past three years.

A spokesman from Evolution Security said: “Gemma Lighting’s high quality products provide the perfect lighting for our CCTV systems and we recommend their LED flood lights for areas under surveillance.”

As well as higher quality images provided by the improved lighting, the security firm also benefited from lower maintenance costs, saved money on energy bills and reduced carbon emissions by installing LED lighting.

With more and more CCTV firms turning to LED flood lights as their lighting solution, and with PCC elections just around the corner, there’s no time like the present for businesses to secure their premises - with the possibility that burglary may not necessarily be the highest priority under the area’s new Commissioner.

What do you make of the PCC elections? Give us your thoughts by commenting below.