[ Spotlight: Member profi les ]


Vision Accendo has implemented a replacement LED lighting


programme at Garmin’s European headquarters, resulting in a 70 per cent saving per annum


VISION ACCENDO


C


alvin Caunter and Mark Bigwood founded Vision Accendo in 2009, with the intention of specialising in the provision of LED technology. The two have been friends for many years,


and each brought complementary skill sets to the business – Bigwood’s background was in sales and marketing and Caunter had been involved in the electrical engineering sector for all his working life.


Research and development As with any new business, it was crucial to carry out research in order to establish a clear unique selling point (USP). ‘We spent the fi rst six months of 2009 researching the UK LED market,’ says Caunter. ‘It became apparent that there was a growing market awareness of the benefi ts that this technology could deliver, but that there were varying degrees of


32 ECA Today June 2013


quality products from the LED lighting suppliers.’ One of the consistent issues raised when


The business case for LED was compelling – return on investment within two years, low maintenance costs and reduced carbon emissions


speaking to potential customers was a high degree of scepticism that the LED lights then available were of suffi cient quality. ‘We decided that if we were going to be


successful, we would need to forge long-term partnerships with suppliers that could produce a quality product at the right price. We also needed to feel confi dent that they would invest in the performance of their product range as technology advanced and as the UK market developed. This was important in giving Vision Accendo a competitive advantage,’ says Bigwood.


Set up After identifying suppliers that fi tted the above criteria, and negotiating terms that went beyond a simple distribution contract, in late 2009 new


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