Article
Brandon Medical - breakthrough high definition LED medical lighting
This article has been taken from The Gen newsletter - Autumn 2009.
By alerting long standing client Brandon Medical to recent advances in high definition LED technology, Sagentia gave the company a platform for sustained long term growth and helped increase sales.
Brandon Medical’s range of high definition HD-LED® medical lighting products represented a real breakthrough when it was launched. Conventional lights required complex filters to manage the heat produced, were expensive to maintain, and produced light which could not be controlled. The HD-LED® technology delivers excellent light quality and is also fully adjustable. This enables medical staff to change colour balance, focus, intensity and red balance – enhancing the red contrast, for example, to improve the surgical observation of body tissue. In addition, because the lights use solid-state technology they generate no heat, producing only visible light (therefore no UV or infrared), and the sealed units are easy to clean and maintain, with no bulbs to replace. Efficiency is also exceptional, with HD-LED® lights using up to 70 per cent less energy than conventional medical lighting using tungsten halogen bulbs.
Brandon Medical’s lighting range was a direct result of our research into LED technology which, at the time, was considered appropriate only for less demanding applications such as signage and low level lighting; it was certainly unable to deliver the high intensity and colour performance demanded by the medical profession. At Sagentia, however, we recognised the hidden potential of LED, and brought our findings to Brandon Medical who seized the opportunity. Together we developed a highly innovative lighting range, fully compliant with all standards and regulations, and which delivers comprehensively superior performance over existing systems.
Since launch, the lighting range – and Brandon Medical – have gone from strength to strength, winning awards, expanding markets, and maintaining their undisputed position as owners of the leading technology in the field, despite increasing (and not unexpected) competition. ‘Although other LED lighting systems are now available, we continue to offer higher performance at a lower price, enabling us – a relatively small company – to actively compete against much bigger organisations,’ comments Brandon Medical Managing Director Graeme Hall. ‘Our success can be seen in our sales, which have risen by 60 per cent since the new technology was launched, a level of growth which we aim to maintain, especially as we continue to expand our markets by moving into new regions such as South Korea.’
The energy efficiency offered by HD-LED® lighting is further strengthening the company’s reputation, as potential buyers consider not only their hospital’s needs but also their energy bills and carbon footprint. The lighting range has consistently exceeded the standards laid down in environmental legislation, significantly contributing towards a low carbon environment by offering an estimated CO2 reduction of 1.25 tonnes per year per operating theatre.
We continue to work with Brandon Medical to both improve the core product range, and to develop new lights for new application areas (such as examination) or for highly specialist arenas such as IVF theatres. In addition, because Brandon Medical owns the technology, the company will benefit financially from any further product development beyond the medical sector. For example, the lights show great potential for use in retail display, an area currently being explored by Sagentia.
As a result, our work with Brandon Medical shows how specialist technology and innovation expertise – provided by a trusted partner – can be translated into a highly profitable product line, paving the way both for better medical lighting (and therefore better patient care), while also providing a platform on which to build significant long term growth.