Is increase in product and raw material cost bothering you much?

With an emerging demand and rapid expansion in the LED lighting industry, choosing the right manufacturer for your products has become complex because of the ever-increasing vendor base and specification requirements.

With so many options available, where to start?

The LED lighting industry is expanding rapidly and it seems that within just a few years, product choices have multiplied at an exponential rate. There always comes a question, which lighting solution is best suited for your lighting project, and will it be cost-effective?

The right LED vendor will walk you through several options for your product/project needs and help you decide what fixture has the appropriate form factor for your application. You can evaluate these vendors with some of the below pointers:

1. Manufacturing Facilities – This is the most important and basic criteria while choosing the right vendor.  You can check for his manufacturing competencies and capabilities such as factory area, location, in-house component mounting equipment, assembly lines and automation, photometry and electrical testing equipment, aging equipment, packing, and printing equipment, etc. Capacity, quality, and maintenance of equipment are the critical factors.
2. Certifications and Processes – To limit your liability and give you the peace of mind that the product has been tested for safety the vendor should have documented and auditable processes for product development, manufacturing, testing, troubleshooting, etc.
3. Manpower Quality – What is the strength and quality of manpower in various departments such as Research and Development, Design, Quality, Production, Administration, etc.? This helps you in knowing that competent manpower with skilled technical professionals for understanding your product requirements and developing it is available.
4. Sourcing – How do they select their vendors for sourcing various components required for your unique product development? Are they using reputed brands/companies of components used in your product?
5. Experience – An experienced manufacturer is always preferable and will help you in long-term business with its expertise.
6. Goodwill – Verify and cross-check the reputation of the vendor in terms of product quality, pricing support, after-sales support, etc.
7. Cost-effective – Getting a quality product in your budget for your project is important. Because one cannot compromise on the quality of the products to gain profitability, which will not be going to help in the long run. Hence, the cost is considered one of the major factors for choosing the right vendor. You may not require the lowest bidder but the one who is competitively placed in the market.
8. Warranty Terms – Make sure to read the details of the warranty and what it covers and ask your vendor for any needed clarification. Take into consideration if the components you are purchasing can be easily replaced or if the whole system will need to be replaced. The warranty should be favorable as per your need and cost-effective also.
9. Lead Times – They should be able to support you with the mutually agreed lead time and responsive communications.
10. Shipping Terms – Transportation costs will directly affect the landed cost of your products. It’s always preferable to consider this point and agreed upon mutual shipping terms before placing an order.

After reading this blog you would be able to select an appropriate vendor for your lighting product requirements. Please leave your comments in the suggestion box if you like this write-up. Also, let us know your questions on lighting-related topics. We would be happy to provide you with the information on the same. 

Team RLUX