Driving Value: What Innovation Means for Our Customers
“Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow.” —William Pollard
Why Does Innovation Matter?
Innovation is a word so ubiquitous that it’s lost much meaning and potency. So when we at LightBoard Technologies use the term innovation, what exactly does that mean for our customers? In the most impactful sense, our innovations drive customer value, whether it’s the value of a more efficient product, a unique application, or the cost-reduction of a previous product.
We occupy a unique niche in the marketplace, creating holistic LED lighting solutions, not repackaged products. To continue providing best-in-class solutions, remain ahead of marketplace trends, and ensure the best value for our customers, we are dedicated to the pursuit of innovation.
Innovation in Two Aspects
This pursuit is driven in two ways. The first is the inevitable byproduct of meeting challenges and solving problems for our customers. The second is through directed efforts to stay ahead of marketplace trends and improve upon existing solutions. Both aspects are essential to providing our customers with best-in-class solutions.
Solutions Byproduct
As we solve our customers’ lighting challenges and meet their design objectives, innovation inevitably follows. We’re not a, “Here’s a product, hope it fits,” kind of company. Developing partnerships with our customers means addressing their specific lighting challenges and creating best-fit solutions not available elsewhere in the market.
One example is a customer request we received for an illumination solution that could be powered by either 12V or 5V, which is uncommon. We created a custom controller that converts from a 5V USB-C to 12V. Built from scratch, we designed it to fit seamlessly within the pre-fabricated fixture. To control quality and cost, we led the manufacturing process from design engineering through final inspection.
With its initial development behind us, this controller is readily available for any future project.
We have the knowledge and experience that allows us to quickly and easily reconfigure the controller and its components. It opens up the possibility of using 12V strips with 5V USB-C power supplies, something we’re beginning to see frequently in cell phone stores.
We rise to the challenges our customers bring to us, and that keeps us innovating.
Improving Existing Solutions
The other aspect is innovating on our own, through exploration, not in relation to a specific customer request.
One example is our proprietary Optix 170TM LED light bar, featuring a unique, 170° batwing-style lens. Lightweight and easy to install, they are an excellent way to backlight light boxes with profiles of 2” or more — nearly half the depth required for the typical light box.
We’re front-runners in using lensed back-lighting inside light boxes. In fact, because our design has been so popular, it’s been copied by multiple companies, both domestic and foreign. That’s how we knew we were doing things right, because, as they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Years of Success and More to Come
The speed of retail never slows. And so we don’t, either. Our goal has always been to provide products and solutions that set us apart from the LED re-sellers in the marketplace that have become commonplace. We’re continually developing newer, more efficient products, unique applications, and adding value to our legacy products. Staying ahead of the crowded LED marketplace ensures we continue to provide our customers with the best-in-class LED solutions that they’ve come to expect from LightBoard Technologies.