Philips automotive lighting to build a new factory in China

On June 24, 2010, Philips automotive lighting launched the automotive forward lighting applications with the latest LUXEON® Altilon technology and future Xenon 25W. Below is the interview Gasgoo.com had with Dominiek Plancke, global president of Philips automotive lighting and Chi Keung Lau, Commercial Director of Philips automotive lighting China at the press conference.

Dominiek Plancke (Left), global president of Philips automotive lighting and Chi Keung Lau (Right), Commercial Director of Philips automotive lighting China

Gasgoo.com: Can you introduce the new technologies you have launched today in Shanghai?

Dominiek Plancke: I think what we are bringing to the market today are our true innovations that can give a lot of contribution to the sustainability question, which the whole automobile industry is facing. We are bringing a LUXEON® Altilon solution to the market, which basically is the “best in class” LED for head lighting. We’re also bringing a 25W Xenon system to the market. The 35W is already widely available, also in China, but the nest generation is going to be a 25W.

Gasgoo.com: Can we say that most of your products are used on premium cars?

Dominiek Plancke: I think today it’s true when you look at the Xenon, we are still touching the higher ends of the cars. But with 25W Xenon, we are convinced that we have a solution which is going to allow for the complete set to be much more cost effective and by that way capable of also penetrating into the mid-sized cars, in that way, opening the market and offering to much more drivers the fantastic advantages of a Xenon system. The LUXEON® Altilon is a solution which today is still going to be reserved for the higher end luxury cars, where additional functionalities are required, where bending light and all kinds of digital features are required. It would be a very energy efficient solution.

Gasgoo.com: But the cars are becoming smaller and smaller. Will you provide more solutions for the smaller cars?

Dominiek Plancke: I think it’s very important that you mention this. The cars are becoming smaller, and science becomes a very important factor. That is also something we have included in our development of the 25W Xenon. It’s a much more compact lighting solution than the traditional 35W. So this is going to allow to build sets which can enter into smaller cars. Actually we have applied one of the 25W Xenon solutions into a Smart car, which is a very small compact car. At the other side, the LEDs are much more compact as well, so also LEDs are very much adjusted to smaller cars.

Gasgoo.com: You have emphasized the importance of China auto market for several times. What has Philips done to expand in the China auto market?

Dominiek Plancke: We are building our future developments on the strength of the today already very strong existing partnerships that we have with a lot of car makers and a lot of set makers. We are extremely excited. And now I’m looking forward to going to meet a lot of them, still today. What we bring to the table is much more than just product developments. We have established now since two years in Shanghai here an application laboratory, where we are helping our partners to develop new systems and to bring those new innovations into local solutions.

We also have already since quite some years a production facility in Songzi, Hubei Province. And we basically announced new investments here in Malu of Shanghai, actually a factory, of which the first production lines are going to enter next year.

So it’s building on innovations, adapting to the Chinese market, supporting our partners in making sure these innovations can be applied to new platforms, and as well making sure their own production facilities are strengthened here in China.

Gasgoo.com: Can you tell us more about the current and future functions of the application lab?

Dominiek Plancke: During today’s press conference, a lot of questions are asked around safety, or lighting solutions being applied, not provoking too much clear, that when you cross cars, you are being basically confronted with bad lighting. The application lab is there to help set makers to design better optics around our new light source opportunities, as well in LEDs, as in the more traditional type of light sources, halogen or Xenon. So it is a laboratory which is at the disposal of our partners, which only has one aim -- to maker sure that the new innovations coming to China are being applied correctly, so to help safety as well as save energy consumptions.

Gasgoo.com: Philips automotive lighting has presented in the China automotive aftermarket, but haven’t entered the OEM market. Right?

Dominiek Plancke: No. We are very strong in the OEM market. The aftermarket we also present. I think there is still challenge for further growth. But we have also there with strong position.

Gasgoo.com: Can you introduce your cooperation with the Chinese automakers? Do you have some local Chinese automaker as your customer in the OEM market?

Chi Keung Lau: The Chinese automakers are our indirect customers. Actually we are selling light sources, which are supplied to set makers. And those set makers are supplying to the carmakers. So we are tier-2 supplier. But I can guarantee you that there are not many carmakers in China that are not using Philips automotive lighting solutions.

More about Philips automotive lighting:

Dominiek Plancke: Future auto market needs compact, energy-saving bulbs

Philips launches latest LED&HID auto forward lighting tech