On November 25, Het Financiee le Dagblad (fd.nl), the leading Dutch financial newspaper, published the headline “Spanish LED lighting conquers the streets of Holland”. This article highlighted the surprising progression experienced by Spanish manufacturer Setga in the Dutch market, the founding cradle of the European lighting industry, where between 2013 and 2014 they obtained two consecutive contracts to illuminate the most emblematic areas of Amsterdam, a success which contributed to the subsequent adoption of Galician LED technology in over 30 cities in the country during the course of 2015. This recognition in the Dutch national press explicitly mentioned the cities of Nijmegen, Almere, Arnhem, Aalsmeer, Amsterdam, Wassenaar and Bergen, and included the testimonies of several engineers from these municipalities, who highlighted the high technological value of the Galician manufactured LED luminaires.

Of all these projects, the completion of the integral change to LED in the historic centre of Bergen took on a particularly nostalgic dimension for the world of Spanish industrial design, as the icon inspired by the gas lamps that characterised the Atlantic and Cantabrian cities of the early nineteenth century, was managed to be imposed on luminaries of French tradition and central European inspiration. In this way, the lamp developed jointly by Pontevedra architect Jesús Folé and Setga for the historic centre of Pontevedra, is consolidated in the map of European urban design, even being earmarked within the urban plans for the German city of Berlin.

The most relevant milestone of the year for the Galician lighting industry, however, took place after the publication in Het Financieele Dagblad. Against all odds, at the beginning of December, Setga LED technology began to illuminate the exterior of Arnhem Centraal Station, currently the most avant-garde station in the Netherlands. The project is led by UN studio, the main architecture firm in the country. The lighting section of Arup, the world leading brand in urban engineering, was directed by the prestigious Dutch light designer Irish Dijkstra, founder of Atelier Lek. Finally, the Lined LED luminaire from Setga, whose first pilot tests began in the cities of A Coruña, Vigo and Pontevedra over four years ago, was the design selected to illuminate the access roads and the surroundings of this futuristic station. The ability of its patented argon gas technology to completely neutralise the destructive effect of moisture and salinity on the electronic components of the luminaire, was a particularly valued aspect when analysing the potential for lifespan, performance and colour stability of the different alternatives that were considered for this project. The first of the projects, in Bergen, achieved a relative saving in consumption (Kw/h) of 78%, whilst the second project in Arnhem achieved 81%, levels that are very close to the Spanish record of an 82% energy saving, achieved by one of the first ESES implemented with LED technology in the municipality of Catoira, in the northwest of Spain, which was fully equipped with Setga technology.

In order to continue to increase its growth in the Dutch market over the next few years, Setga has secured an investment agreement in early December with Modernista, its exclusive distributor in the country for 6 years. The joint conquest of the most emblematic projects of the country in the last two years: Amsterdam Red Carpet, Amsterdam XXI century, Bergen and Arnhem station, together with an average sales growth of 270%, and entry into over 30 municipalities, have been the main drivers of this acquisition.  The main objective of this strategic decision is to build upon the co-innovation, agility and continuous technical support model developed successfully during the last 25 years in Spain. With this objective, its subsidiary Setga Nederland and Modernista have created a project centre for the Netherlands, which has meant a 100% growth in the operational workforce in the country. With a project portfolio of over €5 Million, Setga has now achieved 3% of the Dutch market share, in an industry where the largest local players individually achieve less than 15%. With the financial strengthening of Modernista, Setga expects to achieve at least 10% market share in the next three years. Continued focus on innovation and technological intelligence will be a key factor in consolidating Setga’s position in the Dutch market.  The development of its latest generation LED luminaires equipped with Argon gas technology has meant a total investment of €2,700,000, including machinery and equipment, R&D costs and the requirement for over 25 international approvals from the energy institutes of the 11 countries in which Setga operates. During 2016 and 2017, the annual investment level in R&D will grow by 220%, which will make way for the third generation of LED luminaires.

Despite its diversification towards international markets, Setga remains committed to retaining over 95% of its component value chain in Spain, and at least 80% in Galicia. Of the 50 mechanical and electronic components that make up a luminaire on average, 40 are manufactured less than 50 kilometeres from the Pontevedra headquarters of Setga.

Source of Dutch article:

http://fd.nl/ondernemen/1128790/spaanse-ledverlichting-verovert-nederlandse-straten