ELEKTRA

On August 1st, Ashleigh Lawson took over the sales management of ELEKTRA’s US subsidiary in Wilmington, North Carolina. In her new role, the sales expert, supported by her experienced colleagues, is responsible for furniture manufacturers and shopfitters in the region who have a high demand for intelligent and reliable lighting systems.

Ashleigh Lawson brings to ELEKTRA a wealth of experience from her previous roles at companies such as Würth, Makita, and Fastenal, where she successfully enhanced her expertise in sales management, business development and strategic planning. In her new position, she aims to align ELEKTRA’s sales efforts even more closely with customer needs. Her focus is on the consistent implementation of the company’s strategy. Lawson states emphatically: “I’m really looking forward to finding new ways for ELEKTRA to make its innovations and products even more well-known in the USA.”

Boris Niessing, Managing Director of ELEKTRA GmbH in Germany, adds: “We’re delighted to have Ashleigh Lawson join our team. She is an extremely competent colleague. I’m fully confident that she’ll manage the market optimally and leverage its potential.”

“These days, with tougher competition and the loss of purchasing power, visually appealing and easy-to-install lighting systems make a real difference,” explains ELEKTRA Managing Director Boris Niessing. For this reason, the LED experts from Enger, North Rhine-Westphalia, combined high-quality technology with a sophisticated design in the new LD 8228 surface-mounted light. The result is a glare-free and powerful low-profile light in a smart ring shape – but both installers and retail customers are also impressed by the light’s other plus points, such as easy installation and reduced process costs.

Simple Installation – Less Material Needed​

“Until now, users installing ring lights had to mill or screw into the wood and drill holes for the wiring,” says Henrik Bültmann, the Head of Development and Construction at ELEKTRA responsible for product development and technology. “We wanted to optimize this process for the customer, so we designed a self-adhesive solution with a flat cable connection.” The light and the cable can be easily mounted, retrofitted, and removed without leaving any residue. Furniture remains undamaged during both installation and later removal. Bültmann is particularly proud of the flat cable electrification: “Our solution is based on a LED tape. It makes handling much easier for the customer and significantly reduces the effort involved in installation.” Thanks to its minimal height, the cable is almost invisible. It is available in white or black.

Less can mean more! During the production of the ring light, the LED specialists combined efficiency with sustainability. They produce the COB (Chip on Board) LEDs as ring segments with four pieces per light, ensuring the most efficient “less-waste” approach possible. This intelligent planning was rewarded with the Interzum Award 2023 in the sustainability category – since conventional spotlights with a diameter of 78 millimeters require twice as much material.

Creative Partner​

ELEKTRA focuses on discreet electrification and sustainable, innovative light design. “Our goal is to be a development partner for the industry,” explains Bültmann. “That’s why we developed a completely different approach to manufacturing the conventional recessed light.” This creative effort has also paid off – for example, ELEKTRA came up with the idea of angling the cover of the ring light inward to achieve glare-free illumination.

The LD 8228 operates at 24 volts and is available with different dimmable light colors ranging from 2,700 to 6,400 Kelvin MIX, 3,000 and 4,000 Kelvin. The configurable connection is also flexible, since various plug connections can be soldered onto the FlexPCBs. “Our products are all ‘Designed and Engineered in Germany’ – and we test each lighting product groups individually in our Light Test Center,” says Boris Niessing. Most of the ELEKTRA systems are UL-certified, making them suitable for the American market. “In the US, it is mainly kitchen and home furniture manufacturers who are really interested in our smart lighting solutions,” adds the Managing Director.

Technology in harmony with design – lighting systems that fulfill this aspiration are in high demand in the kitchen and furniture industry. The SICAM trade fair held in Pordenone, Italy, is the perfect platform for these products and ELEKTRA will also be presenting its new products at the fair.

Life, light and emotion – at the SICAM trade fair (October 17 to 20, 2023), ELEKTRA's booth C4 in Hall 9 will be centered around customized lighting for kitchens and furniture. The focus will be on design-oriented, sophisticated LED systems that make a bright impact.

One highlight of the booth will be the LD 8228 surface-mounted light with its minimalist design and smart ring shape. A real eye-catcher: The furniture decor remains visible in the center of the light. However, the light source is not only visually attractive, it also provides an impressive level of glare-free, yet bright, illumination. In addition, the designers have managed to combine both efficiency and sustainability in the manufacturing process. The CSP (Chip Scale Package) LEDs are manufactured as ring segments, four of which are placed on one light. In addition, ELEKTRA attaches great importance to the simplest possible handling. The self-adhesive solution with flat connecting cable allows both installers and end customers to conveniently mount and retrofit the light. Furniture remains undamaged both during mounting and any subsequent removal.

The new LD 8288 light and other miniature profiles from ELEKTRA will also be live on show at the trade fair to demonstrate potential applications. "We are very excited to talk to trade fair visitors from all over the world," says Boris Niessing, Managing Director for Marketing & Sales. "We are aiming to make new contacts and discuss ideas and individual solutions together with the trade fair visitors – and the SICAM trade fair is exactly the right place to do that."