With over 50,000 product lines and existing relationships with suppliers from across several specialist areas, it’s no surprise that customers are increasingly approaching Prime Light for lighting consultation. Here, Ben Brunton, Business Development Manager at the established lighting distributor, talks us through the shift in customer demands and why bespoke is best for some clients.
We are definitely seeing a shift in terms of customer requirements, with an increasing demand for our expertise to provide solutions for customers, not just products. What we’re witnessing more and more is that our customers are approaching us with a challenge or issue they’re looking to overcome. They have drawings and an overriding specification of what they want to achieve, but they’re essentially looking for that specialist lighting consultation to advise them on options, rather than simply distributing a component. And we are loving the challenges we’re being faced with as it offers a whole new dimension to the service we can provide.
We’re currently working with a company, who are undertaking a lighting refurbishment programme with a high-street retailer. With energy efficiency as a driver, the retailer wants to be able to dim the lights in-store to varying degrees depending on whether the store was open to customers, closed but with staff restocking, or an empty store. There was also an additional challenge as some of their older stores have fixed output lighting.
They approached us with a lighting design and drawings and asked us to propose possible solutions. We submitted an initial solution, that involved adding a node onto every light fitting, but with 930 lights on average per location, the client advised that it just wasn’t financially viable given the retailer's rule that every investment should payback within two years. So, having these clear financial parameters we went back to the drawing board and looked at what we could put together that would meet the brief within budget. We arrived at creating a box that could control a row of lights, but with two options to deliver for the fixed output lighting too. Both the clients and retailer are delighted with this solution and it’s currently being installed throughout the UK.
Another example of this solutions-focused consultancy was for a client that needed a PIR to fit into an existing moulding. It wasn’t viable for them to replace the moulding, but they were struggling to find a PIR on the market that would work. Within three weeks we had developed a bespoke solution for them to fit into the existing casing and this enabled them to continue with a lighting refurbishment without having to make lots of changes.
In a different environment again, we were initially approached by a contractor for modular wiring leads for a MOD building, which we produced to their specification; but once they understood the benefits we could offer in sourcing and supplying, they asked us to work with them in developing a gear tray solution for a cost-effective retrofitting of the tunnel lighting in the basement in Whitehall. We visited the site to understand the requirement and went on to design and specify the components to offer the perfect solution. We took a standard Ensto modular wiring box and combined it with wireless technology, to enable localised hard-wired control with wireless grouping between, making it easier and more cost-effective for the client. This particular example worked out well as the client ended up changing the ceiling plan, so our adaptable wireless solution could move easily to a new location with no issue.
So, it’s an iterative process as it’s not just about providing the right solution that meets wants and needs, it’s also about delivering a solution within budget. A bit like buying a car: You start off by looking at all the available spec and then narrow down based on actual requirements and wants along with the client’s budget.
I think the reason that more clients are approaching us about solutions-focused consultancy is that they realise Prime Light’s breadth makes us ideally positioned to help them overcome their challenges. To deliver a bespoke solution it’s often about bringing two components together, like a PIR and new wiring. Not only do we hold over 500,000 stock items and have the sub-assembly capability and resource, but we also have supplier relationships, sometimes exclusive supplier relationships, across multiple lighting fields. This enables us to connect products and suppliers across wireless, PIR, microwaves, and many more to get the right outcome for the client.
If you are currently wrestling with a lighting challenge and would like Prime Light to remove that headache by providing you with solutions-focused consultancy, get in touch by emailing bb@primelight.co.uk or call 020 8968 2000.
