Zumtobel Group Teams up with CREE to Boost Innovative LED Lighting
To drive the further expansion of its LED business, the Zumtobel Group has initiated a close cooperation with the US LED manufacturer CREE. A listed company, CREE is global market leader for high-performance LEDs and specializes in the development and production of LED products, including chips, in the highest brightness classes. The two companies have agreed that the Zumtobel Group will use CREE High-Brightness LED Chips in new products and projects of all its brands as both companies pursue the goal of driving forward the use of LED technology in the professional lighting sector.
• CREE provides access to high-performance LED products for general lighting purposes
• Expansion of innovation leadership for trend-setting LED applications
"Through our cooperation with CREE we gain access to an outstanding technology. Coupled with our knowledge in the professional lighting sector, we will use this technology to further enhance our leading position. In order to play a leading role in the LED business, it will be crucial to command the best possible combination of available technology and applications expertise. And at the Zumtobel Group we are now exceptionally well placed to do just that," said Zumtobel Group CEO Andreas Ludwig.
In organizational terms, the new Zumtobel LED Division will work with CREE making best use of the opportunities of CREE’s leading LED technology for all brands of the Zumtobel Group in the field of general lighting, and also when entering new market segments for LED lighting. With CREE, the Zumtobel Group is expanding its network of leading suppliers. "As we pursue our goal of a playing a significant role in the LED lighting sector, we are basing our efforts on the expansion of our own technological expertise, combined with targeted acquisitions and partnerships. We are delighted that in CREE we are able to welcome the current leader in the production of high-performance chips as our partner," said Andreas Ludwig.
The opportunities that arise out of the combined expertise of the two companies can currently be seen at the Light+Building fair in Frankfurt am Main, the lighting industry's premier international trade fair. One example is a new LED module with variable colors from the TridonicAtco brand that uses a CREE chip to generate a luminous efficacy of 80 lumens per watt in the warm white range.
About Zumtobel Group:
The Zumtobel Group, based in Dornbirn in the Vorarlberg region of Austria, is one of the few global players in the lighting industry. The Group, which started life as Elektrogeräte und Kunstharzpresswerk W. Zumtobel KG in 1950, today employs a workforce of almost 7,500 and in the 2006/07 financial year posted revenues of EUR 1,234.0 million. Under the leadership of its Management Board of Andreas J. Ludwig (CEO) and Thomas Spitzenpfeil (CFO), from 1 May 2008 the Group will comprise the following divisions: the Zumtobel Lighting Division deals with the luminaire business and includes the Thorn and Zumtobel brands. The Zumtobel Components Division (TridonicAtco) handles the lighting components business, while the Zumtobel LED Division supports the LED activities of the other Group brands, as well as opening up new customer segments through the Ledon brand.
