LEDVANCE, the maker of Sylvania light bulbs, has upgraded its factories in Versailles, Kentucky, and St. Marys, Pennsylvania, to transition 200 jobs from the manufacture of traditional lighting products to new LED technology.
“We are continuing to advance light by combining cutting-edge LED lighting technology with the manufacturing and R&D expertise of our U.S. factory workers and engineers,” said Jes Munk Hansen, CEO, LEDVANCE, in a release announcing the investment. “We are the first company in our industry to have a significant LED portfolio like this in the United States, an effort made possible by our first-rate employees. By upgrading our factories and equipment and evolving our business processes, our local workers are bringing light to the nation with modern SYLVANIA LED lighting assembled right here in the U.S.”
LED technology offers long life and energy saving benefits, with LED bulbs lasting up to 22 years and saving up to 85 percent on electricity, the announcement said. The company said that the upgrades, estimated to cost millions, have made LEDVANCE the first general lighting company to have a significant LED lightbulb portfolio made in the United States with both U.S. and imported parts, with one of the fastest producing assembly lines in the world for LED light bulbs.
The New SYLVANIA LED lightbulbs assembled in the United States are sold nationwide through Walmart, which has made a 10-year commitment to buy an additional $250 billion in products supporting American jobs. The lightbulbs will also be available through additional retailers and sold via industrial commercial channel partners in the near future.
Increased customers’ acceptance of LED light bulbs has shifted demand for the traditional products made in the plants for decades, and a majority of LED light bulbs in the industry are imported from Asia, according to a statement from the company. With this new initiative, individual components are delivered to the St. Marys and Versailles factories for SYLVANIA LED general lighting products, and the LED light bulbs are assembled via the new manufacturing lines managed and operated by U.S. employees, with most of the products using glass made at the Versailles factory.
In addition to the new SYLVANIA LED light bulbs, the factories also make SYLVANIA traditional lighting like halogen light bulbs and long life fluorescent tubes with U.S. and imported parts.
LEDVANCE GmbH is a top general lighting providers for professional users and retail customers. In North America, LEDVANCE LLC offers SYLVANIA advanced LED lamps, standardized luminaires and smart lighting solutions, as well as a wide range of traditional light sources. In March, LEDVANCE was sold by OSRAM to a Chinese investment consortium, including strategic investor IDG Capital, the LED packaging manufacturer MLS CO., Ltd. (MLS) and Yiwu State-Owned Assets Operation Center (Yiwu).