Over recent years, due to the promising future of green lighting, an increasing number of enterprises have entered the emerging industry of LED lighting and joined its fierce competition. In the LED jungle, how to give full play to the advantage and achieve success in the tough competition is a challenge posed to all players. For this reason, LEDinside interviewed Mr. Meng Guo, COO of Good Creative Technology (GCT) to invite him to talk about the development of the company and share its experiences.
LED Driver for Start as a Solid Foundation
Mr. Meng told us that Good Creative Technology founded the LED lighting company in 2010. Today its factory covers over 4000 square meters equipped with a professional group of 120 staff, specializing in the production of the LED power supply, LED tube, LED globe bulb, LED spotlight and compact LED lamp.
However, instead of an impulsive follower strategy, GCT’s LED investment program is a step-by-step venture trilogy in accordance with a rigorous plan based on solid technical foundation. As early as the beginning of 2006, the company conceived the idea of green, energy-saving lighting and started to develop and manufacture LED drivers.
Then GCT has recruited an experienced RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT team and purchased advanced manufacturing equipment. From structure design, IC design to performance test, all are completed by the professional team. While focused on technology RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, it also attaches great importance to product quality and carries out strict quality monitoring in every chain of production including SMT, assembly and casing. Moreover, it uses international brands for core components and ICs to ensure top-grade material supply channels. After three years’ endeavor, GCT now enjoys a good reputation in Europe market.
The success in LED drive power and the technological advantages pave a solid foundation for future development. In early 2009, GCT began to engage in design and production of LED lighting products and set up a new LED lighting enterprise, Good Creative Technology (Shenzhen) Limited. Now with the advantage in LED drive power and LED lighting, GCT is making steady strides toward maturity from the startup stage and has presented outstanding performance. Several independently developed products have applied for design and utility model patents while its economic type LED lamp has won recognition from clients in Asia, Middle East and Africa.
To Win by Quality, Technology and High-end Positioning
Currently, the intense competition in LED market results in serious product homogeneity, thus a great number of vendors spare no effort to play the price war for a piece of market share. However, Mr. Meng said GCT is targeted for high-end market and committed to produce high-quality LED products with the stress on research and development. In this regard, GCT takes three main development strategies for oversea sales: strengthening the RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT in technology, improving product quality, keeping focused on high-end Europe market with small profit and quick return.
In light of the expansion of foreign sales, proprietary core technology is a powerful weapon. It is with years of technical research that GCT has obtained various patents and opened the door for foreign sales. According to Mr. Meng, China’s patent law categorized patents into three major types, invention, utility model and design patents. The company is working on both design and utility model patents. For instance, the new compact LED product has received design patent for its unique structure. The dimming T8 LED tube, on the other hand, which features stepless dimming control technology to achieve stable stepless light control without flash, is an example of utility model patent. The possession of patents enables the enterprise with greater independence in the course of development and more product favorability among clients. Besides, the GCT trademark and brand are already registered in Hong Kong, further boosting the independent brand advantage.
Design Related Patents as a Powerful Marketing Weapon
Clearly, technical innovation is the driving force behind enterprise development. Nevertheless, GCT by no means contents itself with present achievements and continues to invest in LED technology research and development. Mr. Meng mentioned that the company is aiming for a new breakthrough in LED dimming tube and planning to develop a high flux LED tube with 140°beam angle.
In addition to strive for technological breakthroughs in product design and utility model, GCT also conducts rigorous technical checks in every production chain, ranging from design, assembly to experiment so as to do its best to control cost from the source. Thus it produces inexpensive good-quality products in an effort to promote LED in lighting especially indoor lighting field.
Nowadays, the phase-out of incandescent lamps has swept across the world. The LED replacement of high energy-consuming conventional lighting has become a development trend in future lighting industry. However, the expensive price and hidden safety problems in quality pose obstacles to the promotion of LED lighting in general households. In spite of it, Mr.Meng believed that LED is widely recognized in terms of commercial lighting due to the economies of scale. Yet in indoor lighting, it is difficult to spread LED use in a short-term.
From a long-term perspective, LED can save a considerable amount for consumers from the electricity bill with the advantages of energy-saving, long use life, mercury-free environment-friendliness. Positive about the promising LED market, GCT will go on with its commitment to the LED lighting RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT and promotion in the hope of creating a green and energy-saving new life.
LEDinside Perspective
Product homogeneity has much to do with the research and development hand of LED enterprises. Some manufacturers become opportunistic in product design and follow the beaten path, expecting to snatch oversea market shares simply with cost and quantity advantages. The development mode based on low price and low technological content is likely to be driven into an impasse when encountering patent disputes.
According to LEDinside’s observation, the LED globe bulb of Good Creative Technology is unique among products of the same kind in appearance and color design. The refreshing product reveals GCT’s powerful marketing weapon with certain visibility, i.e. design patent.
As the old saying goes, more haste, less speed. Copycat development and price war easily lead to a cul-de-sac where the enterprise is trapped in a passive and vulnerable position. On the contrary, the enterprise development will only be sustained if it does its best in the research and development of patented technology in a down-to-earth manner and focus on product quality since it has what others don't have and outmatches what others have.