Zumtobel to light up exhibits in BMW Museum
Dornbirn, Austria – Zumtobel, a brand of the Austrian Zumtobel Group, has won a major over EUR 1.5 million order to supply the lighting solution for the new BMW Museum in Munich.
The Zumtobel Group’s two LED start-ups, Ledon and Lexedis, have been subcontracted to realise the glass façade with LED illumination that forms part of the project and accounts for over half its value. Zumtobel Group CEO Andreas Ludwig sees the forthcoming collaboration with BMW as confirmation of the project-business expertise of the Zumtobel brand: “This order shows how exceptionally well placed Zumtobel is to develop convincing benchmark lighting solutions also for renowned international museum projects. The additional involvement of our start-ups Ledon and Lexedis illustrates the total lighting solutions expertise united within the Zumtobel Group, not least in the use of the latest LED lighting technology. Together we cover the entire value chain in the professional lighting industry.”
As part of the overall renovation of BMW Group Headquarters and the conversion and construction of the surrounding buildings, the BMW Museum is undergoing a remake. The “Museum Bowl” designed in 1973 by Austrian architect Karl Schwanzer, is to be extended on three levels by the addition of an adjacent pavilion. The resultant blend of open and closed exhibition spaces in conjunction with a system of ramps will increase the overall display area at the museum from 1,000 to 5,000 square metres. Zumtobel has won the order to illuminate all the exhibits. The underlying aim is to use light in close conjunction with architecture and media design to create a unique brand experience. The products supplied will range from standard production luminaires to custom-built lighting incorporating innovative technology. The new BMW Museum opens in the spring of 2008 and the luminaires are to be supplied in the course of the next four months.
Zumtobel has an impressive track record in the automotive industry. The Zumtobel brand ranks among the world’s leading suppliers of integrated lighting solutions. Over recent years, Zumtobel has been highly successful in growing its business with international key accounts. Largely on the back of retail, supermarket and automotive applications, Key Account Management has posted dynamic growth in the last four years, during which period revenues have almost tripled. Today approximately 10 percent of Zumtobel’s revenues are accounted for by the IKAM sector. Within the auto industry, lighting solutions for facilities including the BMW plant and branches in Leipzig and Hanover, and the DaimlerChrysler branch office in Cologne have been supplied by Zumtobel. Zumtobel has also developed innovative showrooms for brands including BMW, Audi, DaimlerChrysler, Porsche, Volkswagen and Opel.
Start-ups Ledon and Lexedis to realise innovative glass façade with LED illumination. One key component of this million-euro order concerns an innovative glass façade with LED illumination covering 3,000 square metres of wall space within the pavilion. This lighting solution will be realised by LED applications specialist Ledon Lighting. To generate an evenly backlit interior façade, Ledon will be using an optimum arrangement of dimmable LED modules. In its luminous effect and special colour temperature, the resultant lighting solution will match the overall media concept of the building. Accounting for over half the value of the project, the LED façade in the BMW Museum represents the largest order to date for the wholly-owned subsidiary of the Zumtobel Group. Lexedis Lighting, which develops and manufactures high-efficiency digital light sources, will also be involved, supplying 200,000 LEDs for the project.
About Zumtobel AG:
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 over 7,500 and in the 2005/06 financial year posted revenues of EUR 1,184.2 million. Under the leadership of its Executive Board of Dr. Andreas J. Ludwig (CEO) and Thomas Spitzenpfeil (CFO), the Group today comprises two subgroups. Zumtobel Lighting Division, the luminaire business, includes the Thorn and Zumtobel brands. The TridonicAtco Division handles the lighting components side of the business, while the two start-up companies, Ledon and Lexedis, look after LED operations. The financial year of the Zumtobel Group commences on 1 May and ends on 30 April. For further information, please visit www.zumtobelgroup.com .
