In an exclusive interview last Spring, Lumileds CEO Pierre-Yves Lesaicherre told us of his company’s relentless innovative drive to help customers stay ahead in the markets they serve. Following up now Lumileds are a going concern, I went to Aachen to talk with Pascal Popis, their Senior VP of Sales and Marketing for Europe and the Americas. Prior to the Lumileds spinoff, Popis had been with Philips since 1992, and we had a very fruitful discussion. Read all about it this week; it’s interesting to see how this newly-formed company are innovating on all fronts. With the highest-tech LEDs and lasers and such for safety gains and styling differentiation, of course, but also in HID (D5S) and even still with halogen (H18, H19)—important because these older technologies still predominate in the world’s headlamps..
Also intriguing: Lumileds’ level of integration and value creation. It’s not attainable without an adequate interface definition between light source and headlamp and higher system integration. Popis foresees changes in technology and value creation within the lighting value chain (Automaker, Tier 1, Tier 2) that could happen as a result of the evolution in automotive technologies. Have a look at what Mr. Popis had to say; I think you’ll find it as thought-provoking as I do.
Sincerely yours
DVN Editor in Chief