Lightak, a Taiwan-based fire safety manufacturer, displayed at secutech a variety of sirens, flash beacons, and other devices with amiable designs and added value – results of the company’s R&D efforts.
Lightak, a Taiwan-based fire safety manufacturer, displayed at secutech a variety of sirens, flash beacons, and other devices with amiable designs and added value – results of the company’s R&D efforts.
Among the displays were call point alarms specifically designed for construction sites with no adequate power supply. The alarms therefore run on battery power. “Low-duty battery cells can be used, and that’s what makes them unique,” said Robin Chen, Manager with Lightak. “Some of our competitors use lithium batteries to power these devices, which can then be very expensive.”
According to Chen, 20 devices can be linked to a panel via wires. Wirelessly, each panel can connect with nearly 100. The alarms are distributed mostly to Lightak’s OEM/ODM partners in U.K., who then sell the products through their own distribution channel.
Lightak has been in business for over 20 years and has a clear market strategy – making end devices only, not solutions. “We don't do solutions. When you invest huge amounts of money in developing solutions and they don’t sell well, then all the money would be spent in vain,” Chen said.
As such, Lightak devotes all its energy on end devices – sirens, flash beacons, and strobes that alert the user of an emergency. Yet the inevitable challenge facing Lightak, and all other pure hardware manufacturers for that matter, is that these products become standardized, commoditized, and easily duplicated. “Our products are copied by China to a great extent. Even though most of our products are patented, there are limits to patents,” he said.
That’s why the company relies on R&D and added value to differentiate products and make them unique. For example, Lightak has combined flash beacon and siren all into one device, as opposed to the traditional design.
“In the past, all the components – the box, the beacon, and the alarm – were separate. Now we have combined them together,” Chen said, adding products come with additional features.
“Our sirens are loud yet consume less power. Even though these two concepts go against each other, we’ve somehow made it possible. Meanwhile, we also place a heavy focus on design. If you have a nice home décor, the sirens may appear somewhat abrupt. So we give our products a good look-and-feel, making them blend well into the setting.”