Osram had its best year in the UK for some time, with sales up 5% to 110 million euros (£68 million). “We expanded our customer service centre in St Helens and now have the structure that we need in the UK,” said Dr Schaefer.
Lamp manufacturers Osram and Philips Lighting have reported a surge in interest in low energy lamps, driven by new green legislation such as the Climate Change Levy and the impending introduction of the revised Part L of the Building Regulations.

“We had a very successful year in the UK,” said Osram’s executive vice president Dr Jorg Schaefer. “The market is increasingly receptive to energy-saving products due to legislation in the UK.”

Rival Philips Lighting also reports a healthy market. “Lighting continued to perform very well last year,” said Philips Lighting’s UK md Richard Stuckes. “It’s a stable market, there were less acquisitions last year, price stability on lamps and the Climate Change Levy caused a migration to energy efficient lamps as well as an understanding of cost of ownership issues.”

Both companies are bringing new technologies to the market. Osram currently invests around 5% of sales in research and development, just pipped by the 6% spent by Philips. High power ceramics and 20 W metal halide lamps are just some of the new technologies to expect over the next couple of years as the percentage of sales from incandescent lamps drops.

Source

Electrical and Mechanical Contractor