Birmingham Science Park lighting firm secures growth funding for new jobs
LABORATORY services company LUX-TSI has secured £430,000 to expand facilities at its Birmingham operation. The investment will help create jobs and penetrate new markets.
Specialising in the testing of photonics, energy-efficient lighting and consumer products, LUX-TSI has state-of-the-art laboratories at Birmingham Science Park, although its headquarters are at the Sony UK Technology Centre in Bridgend, South Wales.
The funding package, which will create significant working capital and facilitate rapid growth, is split between a £158,000 grant from the Welsh Government; a £150,000 loan from Finance Wales; £100,000 of loan income from Asset Advantage; and a £25,000 loan from Henry Howard Finance.
Global testing company UL (Underwriters’ Laboratories) is establishing a network of European centres of excellence and LUX-TSI is its preferred testing partner in the UK and Ireland.
Dr Gareth Jones, chief executive of LUX-TSI, said: “We experienced very strong growth in 2012 and have significantly strengthened our partnership with UL, offering testing and certification services for LED lighting and other products.
“Growth projections for this year are even stronger, enabled by the new investment through a combination of public and private funding. We expect turnover to rise by over 200% this year and are planning to recruit at least five new professionals to join the team.
“The £430,000 of additional working capital we now have will help significantly with expanding the facilities and the variety and amount of work we can undertake at our Bridgend HQ and Birmingham Science Park laboratories.”
LUX’s facilities focus on energy efficient lighting, electrical performance, safety testing and the optical performance aspects of new lighting and photonics technology.
In Birmingham, the team also delivers ERDF-funded training programmes for the industry. It also markets specialist software to assist companies with the understanding of the optical hazards of light sources, such as lasers, LEDs, flashlamps and other lighting products.
Birmingham Science Park’s £770,000 ERDF-funded project, which is run with LUX-TSI, is known as the Ultra Efficient Lighting Product Development Centre. SMEs with prototype and early-stage designs for new low-carbon lighting solutions can take advantage of vital support into research and development.
The Development Centre is assisting with the creation of next generation lighting products that offer huge improvements to quality, while reducing CO2 emissions.
Using cutting-edge, state-of-the-art equipment, a multitude of different tests can be performed, from measuring light and colour to defining complex optical structures. The team can also undertake complex specialist tests such as thermography, reflectometry and environmental and stress testing, as well as high speed imaging.
