Innovating With A 120-Year Legacy

For lighting manufacturer Genlyte Solutions, it’s all about re-establishing the brands’ legacy identities in the market while investing in cutting-edge digital capabilities. The company has more than 120 years of history in lighting, under parent company Signify, formerly Philips Lighting and Philips. Now, Genlyte is the maker of a wide scope of professional lighting—from office and retail projects to Broadway shows to illuminating monumental landmarks.

Kevin Poyck, president and CEO of the Bridgewater, New Jersey-based unit spoke with Chief Executive to share the company’s roots and its strategy for moving forward.

Tell us about Signify’s Genlyte Solutions business, your history and how the company has grown.

Genlyte Solutions, a Signify business, has a 120-plus year legacy of lighting innovation and manufacturing in the U.S. and Canada, as well as Mexico and Central America. We are committed to unlocking the extraordinary potential of light for professional customers in the region.

Our collection of cutting-edge indoor and outdoor luminaires, LED lamps and electronics, and connected lighting systems and controls are designed to enhance well-being and performance, elevate experiences and advance sustainability—supporting brighter lives and a better world.

Among our trusted brands are Color Kinetics, which illuminates prominent buildings, bridges and landmarks; Vari-Lite, which lights concert tours, theater productions and large-scale entertainment events; and Philips, known for its high-quality and energy-efficient LED lamps.

To offer a bit of history: Signify is the world leader in lighting for professional and consumer customers. The company, founded as Philips in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, has led the lighting industry since 1891. Following the separation from Philips in 2016, we are now known as Signify.

Genlyte is a professional lighting business, focused on the North American market. Genlyte is fully responsible for its end-to-end processes including offer development, manufacturing, sales and marketing. The Genlyte name is not new to the company or lighting and electrical industries. Many of our luminaire brands come from Philips’ acquisition of Genlyte Group in 2008.

Over the last two years, our focus has been on distinguishing the Genlyte business and re-establishing our brands’ identities in the market given their strong legacies. We continue to strengthen our selling partnerships and invest, for example, in our digital capabilities, so we can best support our customers—along every stage of their project.

What do your U.S. manufacturing operations look like?

Genlyte operates three manufacturing facilities: two in Pennsylvania—a factory in Littlestown and a foundry in New Oxford—as well as a factory in Dallas, Texas.

Our Littlestown facility is best known for its production of our Hadco urban outdoor and landscape lighting solutions. We also manufacture at this site a robust portfolio of indoor and outdoor lighting products that meet domestic preference requirements, in line with the Build America, Buy America Act and Buy American Act.

In addition, Littlestown has become the manufacturing hub of our 3D printed lighting portfolio, encompassing decorative pendants, high and low bays, tracks and downlight accessories veracious under Genlyte’s Lightolier and Day-Brite CFI brands.

3D printing, as a manufacturing method, offers numerous benefits. The technology gives our customers the freedom to create their own unique designs, whether to suit a specific brand experience or space, in a timely and cost-effective manner. It supports a circular economy and sustainability; we use recyclable and bio-based materials and even waste like fishing nets.

Compared to traditional luminaires, 3D printed lighting fixtures don’t use paint or glue, and require fewer parts and screws, so they can be easily disassembled for reuse. Plus, they are produced on demand, reducing lead times, limiting waste and preventing large stock storage.

In our Dallas facility, we design and manufacture our Vari-Lite moving lights for the entertainment industry, along with control and power systems for theatres. These products make their way to Broadway productions, school and university theaters, and on tour with global artists.

Our people are at the heart of our U.S., and entire North America, manufacturing operations. Their health and well-being are our top priorities; we have strong programs in place to drive a safety culture. We invest in continuous learning and development, as well, so we build on our strong legacy while leading, challenging and shaping the future—for our business, Signify, the industry and the world we live in.

How about your operations in Canada and elsewhere?

Genlyte operates two manufacturing facilities in Canada: in Boisbriand, Quebec, home to our Lumec outdoor lighting brand; and in Langley, British Colombia, home to our Ledalite indoor architectural lighting brand. Both surpassed milestone anniversaries—50 and 40 years, respectively.

We also have two manufacturing facilities in Mexico—in Camargo, Chihuahua and in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon—as well as a robust regional distribution center network across North America with ready-made lighting stock available.

There are several other foundational elements to our manufacturing operations, one being our lean capabilities. Our sites are constantly on the lookout for opportunities to improve the level of quality and service we are delivering to our customers. So much so, Signify hosts an annual, global competition in which teams share their lean best practices and encourage replication throughout the entire company.

Another is sustainability. Our sustainable operations program focuses on reducing our carbon footprint. We employ energy-efficiency measures, including using 100 percent renewable energy. We also strive to minimize the amount of manufacturing waste that ends up in landfills; we achieved our commitment of sending zero waste to landfill at the end of 2024. We also engage with our suppliers and logistics and transport partners to drive their own emissions reductions.

How do you navigate a U.S.-Canada-Mexico business given today’s trade challenges?

It has never been more important to ensure that you have several contingency plans in place and to build a diversified footprint. With Signify being a global company, Genlyte has the benefit of using this reach to our advantage.

These steps have enabled us to adapt to the changing trade environment and mitigate short-term impacts as much as possible. We have, and continue to, assess developments as they unfold, while remaining focused on delivering for our customers and staying in close communication with them.

What’s next for Genlyte?

Lighting is an industry in the fast lane. It’s going through several different waves of transformation concurrently, which is exciting for our business.

The first is the shift to LED. While virtually every new construction project incorporates LED lighting and controls, there is still a big opportunity to upgrade existing buildings to high-performance technologies. Genlyte continues to bring new, ultra-efficient LED products to the market, to help our customers realize greater energy savings and quicker ROI.

Connected lighting systems, complemented with tailored lighting services, is a growing business. This can enable cities and businesses to realize even greater efficiency and value, with precise control over their lighting assets and energy use and the ability to extract actionable insights—whether for driving operational efficiency or supporting the well-being and performance of citizens or building occupants.

And now we are seeing another transition, harnessing the power of artificial intelligence. It is being applied to speed up lighting design processes and support customers’ product searches and quoting, so we can efficiently manufacture and deliver their projects.

Genlyte is committed to supporting our customers, no matter what “wave” they’re at. Our strategy focuses on delivering exceptional service, making it easy for them to get the custom lighting solutions they need, when they need it. The future looks bright and connected.