Lafit Lighting Pvt. Ltd. claims to be one the pioneers in LED-based lighting solutions in India. It initially began importing desk lamps, but later added indoor, outdoor and commercial LED lights to its repertoire.
Lafit as the name suggests means Lamps Fittings, wherein ‘La’ stands for ‘Lamps’ and ‘Fit’ stands for ‘Fittings’. Being one of the pioneers in LED lights manufacturing segment in India, the company provides complete LED lighting solutions for architectural, residential, commercial, institutional, hospitality, government, retail, office and industrial sectors. In order to explore the reasons as what all make Lafit different from the league, we at LED World magazine met Hamza Nasir Khan, the company’s Marketing Head. He spoke at length, excerpts of which are as follows:
How has Lafit been fairing in the market so far?
Lafit is a brand present in the market for the last two decades with all sorts of lighting solutions, be it architectural, designer or retail. We have been trying to develop our company as a space where there is something for everyone when it comes to lighting solutions. On the way, we are facing many challenges and substantially overcome. For this, we have our own R&D department which is busy listening to the concerns of potential clients who are facing issues with other brands. The team listens to all that and then tries to solve in best possible ways and with best possible options. Our forte is in providing creative designs and adding value to the space with our lights, transforming concepts into reality.
How do you see the evolution in lighting?
Lighting is getting smarter with each passing day. We keep introducing new products every quarter. This is also because, in just six months or so, the range becomes obsolete. This shows the pace of the development and the pace at which innovation is taking place. Replacement is getting faster and there is no limit to imagination. Our customers imagine, we offer!
What new have you added in your portfolio of lighting solution recently?
Well we have added very important element what many companies are still missing i.e. human centric lighting. Thanks to developments in solid-state lighting which has added a whole new capability to dim and tune correlated colour temperature—commonly called Kelvin changing or shifting. More importantly, this change can really improve conditions for people.
Claiming that better lighting products can improve health is a big supposition. Having said that it is not outlandish to state that carefully designed lighting can aid, even correct, circadian rhythms (A circadian rhythm is a natural, internal process that regulates the sleep-wake cycle and repeats roughly every 24 hours) in human beings. We at Lafit Lighting are putting all our efforts to give that experience to you which can improve your health & lifestyle.
Keeping in view the same, we have recently introduced a couple of new products like Delon, which has got one of the finest series of LED spotlights. The Delon series has been extended both in terms of design and technology. In addition to the spotlight version, we have also introduced its surface, track lights and pendant models. Inspired by modern architecture, these stylish eye-catchers add new aesthetics and atmospheric ambiance to space.
Another addition is the Marbul range of magnetic track system, a technology solution with exclusive magnetic installation of luminaries that offers unparalleled experience of running magnet track lights. It has very compact dimension of the profile, and lamps are essentially refined like never before. The tracking magnet sets the luminaries free from their bulky power units. These luminaries can be minimally designed without surrendering to powerful LED modules and have freedom that only track installation can provide. This system consists modular elements that can be built into the walls, surfaced, or hanged bringing in a very flexible way of lighting any space.
We have also collaborated with Fumagalli – an Italian range that provides one of the finest LED light series for outdoor applications. The Fumagalli collection of high-quality outdoor lighting products offers the ultimate ‘fix and forget’ (lifetime warranty) solution to a host of outdoor lighting requirements. This range is imported & marketed across the nation by us.
Do you think India is ready for all this?
Absolutely, India has gone to another level altogether. So far, what I’ve read, our country is projected to grow at a CAGR of 24.66%, in value terms, during 2016-2022, to reach $ 3,758.74 million by 2022. It’s massive. This brings a lot of opportunities & our country is filled with immensely talented professionals. There is no doubt our country will be amongst the best in the world even for LED industry.
Why should one go for Lafit?
There has never a better opportunity to switch to better quality LED lighting products. The world is changing; it is time to adapt to new innovations that are realised daily making your environment more efficient & intelligent. We at Lafit are one step ahead and invite you to be our partners in creating a better & brighter tomorrow. The thing what matters is the relationship between the company and the clients. Keeping all that in mind, our main focus is on providing service. Our mission has always been to offer our customers a first-class product backed by unparalleled service, focused on solving our clients’ illumination challenges.
What goes when it comes to developing or introducing new products?
We have quite a few designers who are associated with us for long time and have been an asset to us when it comes to developing new designs. Apart from that we also have a dedicated R&D division. The team remains engaged in bettering our current product range through examinations and observations. Any changes in engineering, which impact overall performance and productivity, are promptly checked and recorded.
Our design engineers play an active role in shaping our future portfolio through constant monitoring of market trends and customer feedback by keeping a close tab on changing trends and customer requirements. They are an integral connect between the company and our customers, enabling us to not only gauge the market’s needs, but also to understand how we can better our existing products to maximise customer delight. We keep trying to develop and offer whatever the young generation is looking for.
We have also introduced smart lighting i.e. app-based and Bluetooth-controlled, which can be operated using smartphones and remote controllers. In our range of offerings, we indigenously manufacture up to 40% lights that too in line with the highest quality standard.
Our advanced machinery complemented with the latest technology gives us an unprecedented advantage to offer international quality & designs of LED lights at Indian prices. We are not claiming that we are aping the European manufacturers, but we are doing our bit to offer products that can match international standard.
Where is your facility? What all constitute the infrastructure?
Our manufacturing plant is located in the fast-developing industrial area of Bhiwandi. Spread across an area of 25,000 sqft., the plant accommodates different manufacturing processes in synchronisation with one-another. The plant is equipped with some of the latest and finest machinery imported from the USA, Japan, Italy, Taiwan, and China.
Do you manufacture all the products that you market?
Yes, we do manufacture most of our products and a few are actually assembled in our unit. We are trying to keep it under our PM’s ambitious Make in India concept. Our forte is in providing creative designs and adding value with our lights to the space transforming concept into reality.
Where is the potential coming from?
We are glad that we are getting a really impressive response from all the regions of our country. Our presence is across the nation with the help of our selected exclusive distributors and dealers who are spread across the length & breadth of the country.
How do you update your channel partners about any new range, especially the international ones?
There are regular training sessions for our associates to learn about the technicalities in the existing as well as the new range of products. Our technicians give them training on regular basis. Besides, we keep visiting our distributors and organise meets to keep them up-to-date about our current range and the new arrivals. We do take their feedback to improve on our ranges and presentation.
How do you see the competition gearing up?
It’s challenging & fun too. It gives us immense pleasure in learning and in-turn growing. Not every player comes with such a strong will to stay and compete. Quite a few are short-time gainers and position themselves accordingly. But the point to be noted is that the Indian lighting market is so huge that no one can eat up anyone’s space.
