Last week, I visited a factory at Chartres, France which produces bulbs for signal lamps.
Over my many years at Valeo, I very often visited this factory which produced halogen bulbs and which is now focused on signal bulbs. I remember the noise, the heat with flames everywhere and old machines. That was then, but now this factory makes parts with sophisticated new technological processes, high level quality controls and deeply engaged personnel.
What brought on such a complete change?
To meet industry needs for improved performance in every aspect of a signal bulb — its output, lifespan, precision, and cost-efficacy —the process was totally redesigned.
The result: HiPerVision signal bulb range with life-of-car durability, high filament placement precision, high output, and much more compact dimensions than the traditional signal bulbs unchanged for decades. Exit the old process with flames and archaic installations; welcome the new sealing techniques from electronics, the streamlined new module production organisation, the new sockets to enable an easy automatic fitting of the bulbs on the signal lamps at manufacture.
What does such a story tell us? What feedback should we retain?
Forward lighting has come a great long way in the last decade with Xenon, AFS, and Adaptive lighting but in signal lighting, most cars still use bubs designed half a century ago. It’s time to also focus on signal lighting. This HiperVision technology should be the beginning of a fantastic signal innovation push — and DrivingVisionNews will be here to show you all the latest developments. We’re glad to have you with us!
Hector Fratty