Special thanks to the Foshan Lighting foreign trade team and the Foshan Lighting Research Institute for the invitation, which gave me the opportunity to engage with colleagues from R&D, design, marketing, and frontline sales to reflect on the next growth curve of the lighting industry.
🟩 1. The Times Have Changed: Lighting Is No Longer Just “Making Lamps”
The lighting industry has evolved beyond simply “making lamps.” Light now influences our emotions, circadian rhythm, efficiency, cognitive performance, and sleep quality, and is gradually becoming a foundational element of architectural and spatial value.
However, many traditional lighting companies are facing a pressing question:
When the energy-saving dividend peaks, where will the next wave of competition come from?
Export declines, price competition, overcapacity… These are not just individual company problems but signals of structural change in the entire industry.
In this context, whether a legacy brand can achieve new growth depends on two things:
- Whether the strategic judgment is correct
- Whether the investment is meaningful and capable of building long-term capabilities
🟩 2. Industry Status: Opportunities and Challenges Coexist
At the training session, I shared several trends with the Foshan Lighting foreign trade team:
- Global demand structure is changing
Buyers’ expectations are shifting from “bright” → “good light” → “healthy, scenario-based lighting systems.” - Industry competition is moving from products to products + services
Rising Southeast Asian capacity and multinational companies’ digital capabilities mean Chinese companies can no longer compete on single products alone. - Human-centric and healthy lighting are new entry points
True competition is no longer about who can make cheaper products, but who understands how light serves people better. - AIoT is rewriting the industry’s division of labor
Future lighting companies will resemble “IoT companies focused on light.”
🟩 3. From Energy Saving to Healthy, Quality Light: A Capability Shift
The core of this training was to demonstrate that:
Moving from energy-saving to healthy, quality light is not just a “rebranding,” but an upgrade of corporate capabilities. The future value of healthy lighting manifests in three areas:
- Health value: Improving sleep, circadian rhythm, mood, and visual performance
- Commercial value: More efficient offices, more comfortable hotels, higher-value residences
- Brand value: Transforming from a “product brand” to a “healthy living solution brand”
To truly implement “healthy, quality light,” companies must upgrade in three dimensions:
- Upgrade light sources and luminaires
Low flicker, high CRI, and optimized spectrum form the foundation. - Develop a space- and site-based light quality evaluation system
“Talking about healthy lighting” is different from “measuring it on-site.” In.Licht’s systems for circadian light, visual balance, flicker, and spectral metrics make healthy lighting measurable and deliverable. - Shift from products to scenario-based solutions
Education, offices, hotels, eldercare—each scenario requires a “light recipe,” not just a more expensive lamp.
🟩 4. How Can a Legacy Brand Revitalize? Three Recommendations for Foshan Lighting
These recommendations are applicable across the industry and were the most discussed part of the session.
Recommendation 1: Stop investing in ineffective tracks; double down on “future capabilities”
True “future capabilities” for lighting companies include:
- Knowledge of light health and circadian lighting
- Scenario-based solution research and applications
- AIoT control, sensing, and platform capabilities
- International standard alignment (WELL / CIE)
- Verifiable on-site delivery capabilities (data-driven)
Resources are limited—invest in capabilities that build long-term competitiveness.
Recommendation 2: Move from “selling lamps” to “lamp + scenario + data” system value
Future leading lighting companies will have three characteristics:
- Measurable products (spectrum, circadian effect, flicker, visual comfort)
- Reusable scenarios (education, office, hotel lighting solutions)
- Data retention (on-site data from In.Licht Well/Pro devices)
This marks the shift from a “manufacturing logic” to a “service logic.”
Recommendation 3: Do the right things, not just more things
I often say domestically and abroad:
“Survive today; thrive tomorrow.”
Short-term: product-driven cash flow.
Long-term: build barriers with brand power + technology + solutions.
Healthy lighting is both a trend and a capability threshold. Early adopters can establish leading standards and customer perception.
🟩 5. Conclusion: Gratitude to Foshan Lighting for Making This Dialogue Possible
Many thanks to the Foshan Lighting foreign trade team and research institute. This was a deep dialogue between a legacy brand and new trends, representing an important step forward for the industry.
Healthy lighting is not just a slogan; it requires correct strategic judgment, meaningful investment, and sustained practical capabilities.
I hope we can continue collaborating with more excellent companies to bring “healthy, quality light” into more spaces.
Let light illuminate people—and the next chapter of our industry.
Lawrence Lin, Lighting Recipe Studio
WELL Light Concept Consultant | Board Member, Good Light Group
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