Jesper Holst, the CEO of EKTOS, stated that the partnership with LED iBond is a prime example of how a strong relationship between a consultant and a customer can quickly develop. Despite the relatively short collaboration period, EKTOS is involved in various aspects of LED iBond’s business, including idea generation, development, testing, and manufacturing. EKTOS also participates in business development at a strategic level and attends meetings with customers to discuss technical details, if required.
LED iBond
The convergence of lighting and IT
December 14, 2018
LED iBond manufactures some of the world’s most sophisticated LED panels
LED iBond
LED iBond is a company that produces advanced LED panels, which are designed to integrate lighting and IT. The company works in close collaboration with EKTOS to achieve this goal.
One of the unique features of LED iBond’s LED panel is its patented “sandwich” system. This system consists of an LED placed between two aluminum composite panels, which results in a super-slim LED panel of only 6 mm thickness. These LED panels can be used to create a common infrastructure for Internet of Things (IoT) applications in buildings by integrating lighting and IT.
According to CTO of LED iBond, Lars Frederiksen, most of the company’s employees come from the lighting industry.
However, as the company looks towards the future where lighting and IT converge, it needs to collaborate with experts in electronics and IT, which LED iBond has found in EKTOS.
“We need to collaborate with experts in electronics and IT. We have found them at EKTOS.” – Lars Frederiksen, CTO of LED iBond
The future is called Tracy
LED iBond has recently launched an innovation, named Tracy, which is an IoT-enabled LED panel designed for smart buildings and connected environments. Tracy can be customized to fit into almost any kind of environment. It can be assembled easily, cut to any length, and even go around the corners. Additionally, Tracy can power a wide range of electronics, such as USB ports and IoT sensors that can monitor temperature, moisture, movement, etc. In brief, Tracy combines lighting and IT to provide a flexible IoT infrastructure for all types of buildings.
As an example of its application, LED iBond has recently signed a contract to supply smart lighting for Norway’s largest public library, Deichman Bjørvika in Oslo. The new construction is one of the most prestigious public building projects in the country and is set to open to the public in 2020.
2.350 shelves
LED iBond provides lighting for 2,350 shelves in the library. The lighting for each shelf can be controlled either through a central control unit or with a smartphone app. EKTOS has developed the driver for the shelves, enabling control over the color, light intensity, and other features.
Additionally, EKTOS has taken the responsibility of testing and approving various LED iBond products, acting as an external quality assurance partner. EKTOS has been accredited by the national Danish accreditation body DANAK, which has increased LED iBond’s credibility, particularly with large customers.
Close collaboration
Since our first meeting with EKTOS one and a half years ago, we have collaborated intensely. We are particularly impressed by their ability to manage development projects, as explained by Lars Frederiksen.
“We have collaborated intensely [with EKTOS]. We are especially impressed by their ability to manage development projects.” – Lars Frederiksen, CTO of LED iBond
The fast development of partnership
The partnership between LED iBond and EKTOS has progressed rapidly, thanks to the dedicated efforts of both parties. The collaboration has resulted in significant outcomes, such as the ability to quickly evaluate and test new product ideas from both technical and business perspectives.
According to Lars Frederiksen, it is essential to have a fast development process and short time-to-market, as the lighting industry is now merging with IT. The conventional thinking in the lighting business needs to be rethought, and LED should be considered as an electronics component like other components. To exploit the new possibilities, a variety of skills are required, which is why LED iBond collaborates with EKTOS.
LED iBond producerer nogle af verdens mest avancerede LED-paneler
LED iBond producerer nogle af verdens mest avancerede LED-paneler og har en vision om at integrere lys og it. Det sker i tæt parløb med EKTOS.
LED iBond har udviklet et unikt system til LED-belysning. Systemet består af plader i aluminiumskomposit i en patenteret sandwich-konstruktion, der giver et lysarmatur med en tykkelse på kun 6 mm. Med armaturet kan virksomheden integrere lys og it i én fælles bygningsinfrastruktur til Internet Of Things anvendelser.
– De fleste af vores ansatte kommer fra lys-verdenen, fortæller teknisk direktør i LED iBond Lars Frederiksen.
– Men vi ser, at fremtiden bringer en stadig tættere integration mellem lys og it. Derfor har vi brug for at samarbejde med eksperter inden for elektronik og it. Dem har vi fundet hos EKTOS.
“Vi har brug for at samarbejde med eksperter inden for elektronik og it. Dem har vi fundet hos EKTOS” – teknisk direktør i LED iBond Lars Frederiksen
Fremtiden hedder Tracy
Tracy er navnet på LED iBonds nyudviklede system, en tynd LED-skinne, der kan tilskæres og forbindes efter behov og bl.a. skæres i vinkel. Ud over at fungere som et ultra-fleksibelt belysningssystem kan Tracy tilføjes forbundne moduler, f.eks. usb-stik, termostater, bevægelsessensorer og anden elektronik, der kører på lavspænding. Med Tracy smelter lys og it sammen til en fleksibel IoT infrastruktur, som kan anvendes i alle typer bygninger.
Senest har LED iBond indgået kontrakt om levering af intelligent belysning til nybyggeriet af Norges største folkebibliotek, Deichman Bjørvika i Oslo. Nybyggeriet, der har et milliard-budget og er et af Norges største kulturbyggerier, åbner for publikum i 2020.
Hylder i tusindvis
LED iBond leverer belysning til bibliotekets 2.350 hylder og mediestativer. Lyset kan styres separat for hver hylde eller centralt via en smartphone-app. EKTOS har udviklet en driver til hylderne, så man kan kontrollere farver, lysintensitet m.m.
Desuden har EKTOS bistået LED iBond med test og godkendelse af en række produkter med EKTOS i rollen som ekstern kvalitets-afdeling. Det har givet LED iBond ekstra kredibilitet i forhold til virksomhedens store kunder, da EKTOS er akkrediteret af det nationale akkrediteringsorgan i Danmark, DANAK.
Intenst samarbejde
– Vi mødte EKTOS for halvandet år siden, og siden har vi samarbejdet meget intenst. Vi er især meget imponerede over, hvor gode de er til at holde styr på vores fælles projekter, forklarer Lars Frederiksen.
“Vi har samarbejdet meget intenst [med EKTOS]. Vi er især meget imponerede over, hvor gode de er til at holde styr på vores fælles projekter” – teknisk direktør i LED iBond Lars Frederiksen
Direktør i EKTOS Jesper Holst supplerer:
– LED iBond er et godt eksempel på, hvordan en tæt relation mellem kunde og konsulent kan udvikle sig. Selv om vi kun har arbejdet sammen i halvandet år inddrager LED iBond os på mange forskellige niveauer, både i idegenerering, udvikling, test og produktion. Derudover bidrager vi på det strategiske niveau og er med i forretningsskabelsen. F.eks. deltager vi i kundemøder, hvor det er relevant, f.eks. når der skal diskuteres tekniske detaljer.
Hurtig udvikling
Samarbejdet mellem LED iBond og EKTOS har udviklet sig både usædvanlig godt og usædvanlig hurtigt. Det skyldes ikke mindst, at begge parter fra begyndelsen har sat fuldt fokus på parløbet. Resultatet er, at man nu hurtigt kan afprøve nye produktideer og afklare, om de er teknisk mulige, praktisk gennemførlige og økonomisk holdbare. Kort sagt: Vejen fra ide til færdigt produkt er blevet kortere.
Og et højt udviklingstempo er afgørende, fordi lysbranchen ifølge Lars Frederiksen står midt i et paradigmeskift hen imod integration med it-verdenen.
– I lysbranchen har man i mange år tænkt forholdsvis traditionelt. Men LED åbner for et væld af nye muligheder. Vi skal nytænke LED som en elektronikkomponent på linje med andre komponenter og for at udnytte de nye muligheder skal vi sætte mange forskellige kompetencer i spil på samme tid. Det er derfor vi samarbejder så tæt med EKTOS.
