Plato once said that “necessity is the mother of invention”; and in the case of President and Founder of LEDtronics, Pervaiz Lodhie, It has never been more truthful. It was inside the garage of his Torrance, California home in 1983 that Pervaiz Lodhie recognized the necessity of a solution to the inadequacies of filament based light bulbs. As an mechanical engineer by trade and a resourceful innovator by nature, Pervaiz recognized the immense efficacy of light emitting diodes for illumination. After a casual meeting at a Denny’s restaurant in Los Angeles with a writer for Electronic Products magazine Pervaiz says: “the rest was history”. Read on to find out more about Pervaiz Lodhie, and his dream to revolutionize the lighting industry one application at a time.
What inspired you to create LEDtronics and how long ago was it? What sparked your interest in this industry in the beginning?
In 1983 I recognized the major issues plaguing the lighting industry. Filament based bulbs held a monopoly over both indicator & illuminator applications, but a host of issues like high failure rate, extreme energy use, and sensitivity to environmental factors hindered them significantly. With a background in mechanical engineering and real world experience working with light emitting diodes (LED), I set out to adapt LED technology from indicator to illuminator. Along with my wife Almas I began LEDtronics from my garage in Torrance, CA. I sought out specific applications that LED could be applied to, and developed solutions for them. With a vision of one day replacing all conventional lighting technologies with LED, I passionately innovated new ways of adapting LED as a means of lighting, quietly leading at the forefront of the advancement of LED lighting technology.
What do you feel makes LEDtronics the great company that it is? What separates it from competitors?
I strongly feel that LEDtronics’ unique ability to provide a solution very quickly without sacrificing quality is what makes it the great company it is today. By truly listening to customers and providing just-in-time development, manufacturing, and working prototypes, LEDtronics focuses on satisfying their customers each and every time. With a loyal family of coworkers, I can confidently state that the company has a unique ability to work together while staying on top of the latest technologies.
How does LEDtronics differ today from what it was when you first created it?
The lighting industry is always changing, and LEDtronics itself is on its third reinvention. Now with the development of new and improved white light LED products, our company’s focus is on this new product revolution. Energy conservation and environmental protection are more important today than they ever have been, and my LEDtronics team is dedicated to developing the safest, most efficient LED light bulbs possible.
Describe an average day at work for you.
These days I prefer to stay closely connected to new designs and products. I continue to stay tightly knit with the R&D and its efforts to find new solutions, and I am constantly looking for new applications for LED lighting. I pride myself on being an out-of-the-box thinker; a trait that many feel contributes to the success of LEDtronics. I also find data analysis to be crucial in the development of new products, and I am constantly pouring over historical data both industry and LEDtronics to aid in the research of future technologies.
What is your view of the future of LEDtronics and the LED Lighting Industry?
I believe that LEDtronics will continue to bring positive change to the world. Through a myriad of factors such as global environmental concerns, sustainability, and even the empowerment of the poor through my own philanthropic programs, I have a vision of LED helping to shape the world into a better place. I also recognize that solar energy and LED are an “absolute magical mix”, and feel that when these two technologies are combined many of the important issues facing humanity can be eradicated.
Tell me about your personal values in regards to work that transcends to your home and family.
In the 30 years that I have owned LEDtronics, I have remained extremely disciplined in my balance between work and family. I avoid making mistakes, but love creating positive results from lessons learned from mistakes. My true priority has always been family, and that is one thing that will never change.
When not at work what do you enjoy to do in your spare time?
I love great food, family time, and watching movies. Due to my son Shaan I have become a huge Lakers basketball fan, and watch their games as often as possible with my son. Keeping up with the politics of the world, and working on the education of the poor through various philanthropic programs that I am deeply involved in such as my “Pehli Kiran” First Ray of Light Initiative that brings light to rural areas of Pakistan in order to positively impact the recipients of our Solar LED lantern socio-economic status. This program also aims to increase the opportunities for boys and girls to study at night which is difficult in many rural areas because of limited or no access to an electric grid.
Every museum and gallery relies on specific lighting techniques to properly showcase an artists’ work or a historical artifact. The lighting must be designed methodically to offer the best possible appearance to the guests without degrading the article in any way. Historically museums and galleries have used incandescent light bulbs as means for illuminating their exhibits. However technology has progressed significantly since incandescent bulbs were introduced.
LEDtronics has been at the forefront of this innovation since well before the LED bulb made its debut in museums and galleries. LED technology offers a myriad of benefits for museums and galleries alike.
The LED bulb is far more efficient than conventional lighting technologies like incandescent. So efficient in fact that by using LED bulbs there is potential to cut energy costs in half. Maintenance is also a concern, as the constant swapping of spent bulbs is extremely time consuming and expensive. With 50,000 hours of rated life span, LEDtronics LED bulbs will save time and money.
Perhaps the biggest concern for museums and galleries is the protection of their exhibits. Many factors can lead to the damage or degradation of artwork, the most significant being lighting. Lighting is a contributing source of many damaging components such as heat and UV light. This heat, in conjunction with damaging UV rays has the potential to cause fading or other damage. In the past lighting designers have had to sacrifice luminosity for preservation, but not anymore. LED lighting produces half the heat of incandescent, and does not emit any UV radiation. LEDs also allow lighting designers to choose between a broad range of color temperatures, allowing them to more accurately portray the color of a piece.
LEDtronics has been involved in the retrofitting and implementation of LED lighting into museums across the US for many years. To find out we can provide you with a solid state lighting solution for your application, contact us today. LEDtronics, creating the future of light since 1983.