Harvard opens US lighting market with deal
A YORKSHIRE company which has developed an innovative street lighting system which produces substantial energy savings has sealed a deal with a major US manufacturer which will give it access to the North American market.
Leeds firm Harvard Engineering, which supplies street lighting in Leeds and Sheffield, has signed an agreement with Venture Lighting based in Cleveland in the US in which the two companies will work together to develop new lighting ballasts for new Venture products.
Venture will manufacture the new products at its factory in India for sale in the US.
Harvard is a European leader in the design and manufacture of energy saving electronic power supplies for retail display and street lighting.
The business was established in 1993 in the kitchen of managing director John McDonnell and now boasts turnover of £8m and 130 staff and the company's main competitor is global giant Phillips.
Harvard manufactures highly effective energy saving lighting 'ballasts' used in professional display lighting and the fluorescent lights used in toilets and corridors and its biggest area is the sale of control components for retail display shop lights.
The company has developed the Leafnut system, a monitoring, switching and dimming control system for street lighting. The design has the potential to create energy savings of up to 50 per cent per street light together with carbon emission savings of 100 kilos per column per year.
The company was advised on the deal with Venture by Nick Watson and Alex Newman at its newly-appointed legal advisers Hammonds.
Venture Lighting is the world's expert in metal halide lamps and is the largest manufacturer of these lamps which are used in outdoor and retail display lighting.
Based in Cleveland USA with a turnover of more than $250m, Venture has operations in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India, China, the USA and Germany.
John McDonnell, managing director at Harvard Engineering said: “The agreement is a great deal for both parties. It enables Harvard to remain at the forefront of lamp-ballast technology whilst retaining its independence and gives Venture the ability to bring new lighting systems to market at attractive price points and distribute them to areas that Harvard has been unable to service. It's an exciting time for us all.”
Wayne Hellman, chief executive officer at Venture Lighting, commented: “We recognised Harvard as a world class ballast engineering and manufacturing company that had the technical ability to work with our lamp engineers at the cutting edge of HID technology.
“We have numerous new lamp developments underway and we needed a flexible and responsive design company to keep pace with us. Harvard has the depth and breadth of knowledge in ballasts that when coupled with our expertise in HID lamps will generate exciting new solutions for our customers.”
Nick Watson, corporate partner at Hammonds' Leeds office, said: “Harvard has market leading technology. It is a real growth business and one to look out for in the Yorkshire market. This is a great deal for John and the rest of his team, and provides a further platform for the company's continued growth.”
