Her Lighting is a lighting manufacturer and design studio based in Barcelona, Spain. Since 2009 they have designed and created products bringing their identity and vision to the lighting market. The company’s catalogue of products consists of a wide range of recessed downlights, track lights, surface mounted lights, continuous lines, profiles and LED strips.
Easy Engineering: What are the most successful products?
Her Lighting: Our most successful products are our magnetic tracks and the fixtures compatible with them. We have two different low voltage magnetic tracks; TAR 42 and TAR 48. Both comes with a wide variety of products, TAR 42 with a range of smaller products exclusive for TAR 42, and TAR 48 with a range of products also available in recessed, surface and even some suspended versions. The advantage with the magnetic tracks is the flexibility and options it gives the client and the lighting design. Products such as Tare S and Straight are popular options with TAR 42 and TAR 48.
Another popular product family is our Nixe range. These fixtures include a black antiglare reflector, hiding the source of the light, making it nearly invisible. The result is a visually pleasing and extremely comfortable light emission. Our Nixe family is available in recessed, surface and suspended options. Nixeline, which is a customizable continuous line, can be configurated with a different number of light sources, and is a great option to highlight social spaces.
E.E: Tell us about the team in your company and how important is the human factor?
Her Lighting: At HER Lighting, all the products we sell are a result of the people that work here. Without so many passionate and hard-working people we would never be able to offer products at the level of quality we have achieved today. Many thinks the production of products such as lighting fixtures is highly automated, but in reality, a major part of the production process is human made. Therefore, the importance of putting together a team you can trust have the passion, eye for detail and competency is extremely important.
Our success is largely dependent on the quality of our products, and the people who design, develop, manufacture, and market those products. All the factors that contribute to a product being of good quality is controlled by the people involved in the process, from design, materials used and the manufacturing process. Another crucial department where our team really differentiates us from our competitors is our support department. Here, our team plays an important role in supporting our clients with all questions and inquiries they might have. All our roles require skilled, motivated, and dedicated people who are committed to producing high-quality products. Without the human factor, we would struggle to create products that meet the needs of our customers and stand out in a competitive market. Therefore, the human factor is essential for the success of HER Lighting.
E.E: What can you tell us about the production process?
Her Lighting: Our production process is probably similar to many other lighting manufacturers, but what’s exciting for us is that all the production facilities are so close. This gives us valuable insight into the production, which we can use to learn and improve. When it comes to the stages of our production, we can divide it into 5.
Sketching and Design process.
The initial phase can sometimes go by quick, but often it can take months or even years before we decide on a design for a new product. Often, we spend time finding the right technology for the product and sometimes technology can evolve when we’re still in the design phase, and therefore need to adapt to these innovations. This phase includes the creation of prototypes.
Material preparation and fabrication
Usually, the material choices are taken in the design process, but sometimes we consider different types of materials, and the decision gets taken right before production. The fabrication is quick, and since it is close to our warehouse it does not take long before we have the parts or finished product in hand.
Assembly & Paint
Depending on the complicity of the product, we sometimes get a variety of parts to assemble, and sometimes we get close to a finished product just missing the LED light source. Either way, all assembly and paint are done at our facilities in El Prat de Llobregat. We always like to experiment with finishes and paint to find the perfect and unique solutions.
Testing & Quality Control
Before the lighting fixture is shipped to customers, it undergoes rigorous testing to ensure that it meets quality standards and performs as expected. This can include testing for electrical safety, luminous efficacy, and color temperature.
Packaging & Shipping
Finally, the lighting fixtures are packaged and prepared for shipping to customers. This may involve custom packaging to protect the fixtures during transport and ensure they arrive in good condition.
E.E: Tell us about the research and development in your company?
Her Lighting: The lighting industry is a rapidly evolving industry where technical innovations is happening constantly. In order to keep up with our competitors and the industry in general we have to put most of our focus into R&D and try to stay as far ahead as we can. Many of the technical aspects are improved by conducting R&D, such as energy efficiency, safety and cost reductions. Over the last 5 years, an increasingly focus has been on smart lighting solutions and integrations with smartphone control. The demands of our customers will always be on the top of the list when it comes to R&D, since it is in many cases the best indication for the upcoming trends in our industry.
E.E: What are the steps a product has to go through, from sketch to the finished product?
Her Lighting: From a sketch to a finished product, it can take years. Sometimes it goes by quick, especially if it is based on the parts of another product. The sketching process is a collaborative process between the designer and our product development engineer, where general ideas, technical abilities and materials are important topics. After the design is sketched, our product development department create a 3D visualization of all the parts of the product, and this is often the most time-consuming part of the process, and you will see many revisions and small detail work being done. After we lock our decisions on the design, we will send the drawing to the manufacturing site to make a prototype which we will use for initial testing ensuring its quality before putting the product into production. On some occasions we will also make small changes to a product if we detect areas of improvement after its introduction. For example, if there’s a new technology being introduced to the market, we will most likely find a way to incorporate this into existing products offering updated versions. Tunable white (the ability to control light temperature) is an example of a technology which has become a standard, even in our older products.
E.E: What is your company philosophy and what drives your company forward?
Her Lighting: Our company philosophy can be divided in five different subcategories.
Customer Focus
Understanding our customers’ needs and creating solutions based on them is a priority and includes listening to feedback, expecting needs and providing exceptional service and support.
Innovation
We will always strive to be innovative and pushing the boundaries in design and lighting technology. Investing in R&D, exploring new materials and technologies, and finding new ways to enhance the customer experience is part of our philosophy.
Sustainability
In our industry we have a big responsibility to ensure our production and products are made as sustainable as possible. This includes reducing energy consumption, using recycled materials, and designing products that are built to last.
Quality
An important part of our philosophy is making sure our products meet the highest standards of performance, safety and reliability. To do so we must conduct rigorous testing and quality control procedures on all our products.
Design
We want our products to be memorable and timeless. Collaborating with innovative designers and investing in these relations is important for the future and a way we can differentiate ourselves from our competitors.
The most important source of motivation at HER Lighting is our clients and the people we work alongside. It’s from daily conversations with clients, partners and co-workers we develop products, solutions and strategize. These conversations are what inspires us and give us motivation.
E.E: What’s the client feedback for the best-selling products?
Her Lighting: Really the best feedback you can get is a client continuing to buy the same product year after year. We really appreciate good feedback on our products, but the real sign that a product will become or is a best seller is a client repeatedly purchasing a certain product. Feedback on the light quality of our products is what gives us important input for how to improve on a technical level, which is extremely valuable.
E.E: How does this feedback impact development of new products?
Her Lighting: Feedback impacts the development of new products directly and is one of the biggest sources of inspiration and guidelines in the process of developing new products. For example, our Straight family has for a long time been one of our best sellers, but only comes in two rather large sizes. We have heard from some clients that a smaller option would be perfect for their projects, and that pushed us to find a way to deliver a smaller option, without compromising on quality of light. As a result, we are now in the last design phases of some new, smaller fixtures which are being included in our new catalogue expected to come soon.
E.E: What guarantees success in your area of activity?
Her Lighting: That’s a good question. We’re not sure if there’s any way to guarantee success, but there’s certainly ways of improving the probability. I think the answer to this question will be inspired by our philosophy we talked about earlier. These five core values and focus points are in our opinion, the ways to achieve success and building a loyal customer base. In the lighting industry, it’s important that we always adapt to the new technology and innovation, what’s successful today might not be in a month or two.
Warmth and distinctive design are the main themes with this version of our Four product family. Light is projected through an optical lens and a honeycomb for maximum visual comfort. This version is made for our TAR 48 low voltage magnetic track, which increases flexibility in installation. Produced entirely in Spain, this product is a result of a collaboration with a Scandinavian designer.
Beauty and versatility. High quality and comfort. Clean and defined light emission. Trimless option to achieve excellence in projects. Produced entirely in Spain, this product is a result of a collaboration with a Scandinavian designer.
