Cover Story: LED Lenser
Are LED Lenser lighting up the outdoor industry?
Q&A with LED Lenser UK Marketing Manager Paresh Ruparelia 1. Who are LED Lenser?
In the UK, LED Lenser is distributed exclusively by Ledco Limited based in Berkshire. Through Zweibrüder Optoelectronics, founded in 1994 by twin brothers Rainer and Herald Opolka, LED Lenser revolutionised the torch market with cutting-edge innovation and precise German engineering. With more than 1000 employees worldwide, the company is now one of the world's leading torch manufacturers.
LED Lenser lights use only the brightest, highest-quality LEDs and patented optical, electronic, and manufacturing systems. They are built to withstand the rigorous demands of military, law enforcement, search & rescue, outdoor leisure and industrial applications.
In 2010, Leatherman, the world’s largest manufacturers of high-quality multi-tools acquired a majority interest in Zweibrüder Optoelectronics. This partnership between the leading torch and multi-brand tools is paying dividends with 29% growth in the UK for LED Lenser in 2010 and 20% growth in 2011.
2. The outdoor market appears to be saturated with a host of brands selling torches, what makes LED Lenser products so different?
The qualities of our products are second to none. The LED Lenser is the epitome of quality German innovation and technological engineering. This same technology is used by a host of German car manufactures. LED (Light Emitting Diode) is a semi-conducting device that produces light when an electrical current flows through it. This results in increased energy efficiency and thus requiring less battery power to produce the same amount of light as an incandescent bulb. This increased efficiency has no bearing on
lifespan, as LED’s are able to burn brightly for 100,000 hours of service- almost 11.5 years of continuous light! The quality of our products have been recognised internationally with numerous awards for design and innovation. For instance in 2010, our H14 model won the Reddot design award and in 2011,
five of our torches won a Reddot award for product design. As you mention, there is large competition to our brand but we have a winning product with proven experience. We have remained fairly unaffected by the effects of the recession and as we appeal to a wide range of different sectors such as the emergency services, shooting, hiking and running markets, we have been able to survive and flourish during a tough economic period.
3 What value-added services do you offer the retailer?
We offer a full range of service for the retailer including dealer support to drive sales with in-store point of sale stands, sales and promotions. Each of our products has its own unique serial number and enables both retailers and consumers to be able to track a product and find out when it was manufactured. This is useful in ensuring a high quality customer service is provided.
4. Are there any plans for diversification into any other markets?
At this stage we are committed to growing the LED Lenser brand and continuing to ensure we are the number 1 in the market place. Unlike others in the light market, we are a true specialist and so by continuing to provide world-class products we will always be a step ahead of our rivals. We believe there is still scope to double our business in years to come and so we will continue to do what we do best.
5. LED Lenser appeared in the Guinness Book of World Records fairly recently, why was that?
In 2011 we created the largest ever flashlight and won a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for their ‘brightest creation’. The creation was a 13-foot-long replica of our X-21 model. The existing record was held by a flashlight about half the size of ours so it is safe to say we entered into the world record books fairly comfortably!
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www.sgboutdoor.co.uk
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