We recently had a chance to grab some time with George Lee,
President and founder of American Bright Optoelectronics, to discuss the future
of the Solid State Lighting industry and the evolution of American Bright.
Q: George, tell me about what lead you into the LED
industry?
A: After finished my post-grad work, I was given an
opportunity with a major LED indicator and display company. I was always
interested in LED technology and the opportunity seemed like a good fit for
both my background and my interests.
Q: Where did you attend College?
A: I did my undergraduate at National Cheng Kung University
in Taiwan, it is very well known for its internationally recognized engineering
and science programs, and post grad studies at Sam Houston State University, MS
in Physics, before moving on to Texas A&M for a MEE.
Q: What did you do your master’s thesis on?
A: I was involved in the early research into the optical
properties of MQW (Multiple Quantum Well) for GaAs/AlAs materials and did my
thesis on this. Most of my research has been into GaAs and Si materials.
Sounds dry, but really one of the more exciting aspects of solid-state
technology!
Q: What LED (pun intended) you to start American Bright?
A: I saw the potential in the LED space while I was still at
University. I was never a business major but a technologist, so I had a
lot to learn! But I have always been the kind of man who wanted to control his
own destiny and the LED business aligned perfectly with my expertise and
interests. The rest is history.
Q: What are the fundamental underlying values behind
American Bright?
A: The values have been consistent from day one: Our highest
value is integrity, all other of our core values stream from this. We say
what we are going to do and do what we say. Second is Innovation, we
firmly believe that innovation must be an organization wide value. We
empower all our employees to be innovative and look for new ways, better ways
to get things done. Responsiveness is our third core value, we believe
that to maintain our integrity as an organization and as individuals we need to
be responsive to our internal and external customer’s needs. Finally we value
consistency. We want to assure our customers that they can depend on us
to get the same quality and level of service time after time.
Q: Everyone has a mission statement these days, has yours
changed since 1995?
A: When we first started we
were really just a technical sales and marketing organization. As
we grew and evolved as an organization we brought on engineering and product
development assets, creating our own technology and products. When we
started we never envisioned having our own patent portfolio and full
R&D. We are really an innovator now not just a technical sales
organization.
Q: So what is your mission statement?
A: To be one of the most sought after and recognized brands
in the SSL industry, delivering the highest value to our customers and
providing opportunity for growth to our employees.
Q: So when did American Bright come into being?
A: I entered into a joint venture with Bright LED in Taiwan
in 1995 to serve the needs of the US Market and that resulted in the birth of
American Bright Optoelectronics. Hard to believe we are entering into our
19th year!
Q: How about your general lighting division, American Bright
Lighting?
A: ABL evolved out of a project we did for Coca-Cola in
2006. We were approached to develop a LED lighting system for their
vending machines. From that project we developed the Simple Tube product
family. ABL is really just a vehicle for this technology. American Bright
Optoelectronics is still the main focus and where engineers come to leverage
our SimpleDrive technology, like that found in the GoldenEye LED light engine
modules.
Q: How is the general LED market different from the lighting
market for you?
A: Night and Day! The indicator and display market is our
primary business and a pure technology play. The factors that lead a design
engineer to select an indicator or light source are very different from the
factors that a lighting designer considers when selecting a product for general
illumination. The technical and business competencies are very
specialized and being able to address those varied concerns are critical in
providing the appropriate level of support to both types of customers. We
will always be a dedicated component supplier and innovator in that space, but
find that there are some specialized competencies we need to develop to support
the entire market.
Q: What corporate accomplishments are you most proud of?
A:
We are
extremely proud of the success of products like our SimpleTube™, which features
our SimpleDrive™ AC drive technology. It’s an industry first, using direct 120
VAC input eliminating the need for a bulky power supply. The market is seeing
the value and superiority of our drive and design method. We see the proof of
this as major national brands have chosen and adopted our SimpleTube
refrigeration case lighting system.
SimpleDrive™ will
continue to be our focus going into 2013, in both the development of American
Bright Lighting products, as well as the integration of our technology with OEM
customers’ products. Our agility and innovative approach to technology
integration will make us a valuable partner to the lighting fixture OEMs who
want to remain at the forefront of the emerging LED revolution. American Bright
Lighting offers OEM and ODM programs that create “wins” for our clients.
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