Allison Brouillette, Internal Communications Specialist at Philips Lighting writes a blog entry introducing the team behind Boldplay, which was awarded as “Most Innovative Product of the Year” at Light Fair 2013 .

Philips introduces the team behind LED tube Boldplay. (LEDinside/Philips)

One of the keys to success for Philips Lighting is surrounding themselves with talented experts. Today we are proud to introduce you to the team behind the award-winning BoldPlay lighting solution.

Meet the Bold Play team from Philips Ledalite in Langley, B.C., Canada. They are a great example of teaming up to excel by harnessing each other’s strengths to produce breakthrough innovations.

The BoldPlay team’s challenge was to come up with an LED product that had to exceed the efficiency of fluorescent product by 40 percent. They had a specific launch timeframe and product requirements of high performance, low cost and detailed aesthetics.

Left: Gnass (left) and Tuulos (right) examine the lumianire design. Right: Senior Optical Designer Man tests lighting. (LEDinside/ Philips)

Kwong Man, Senior Optical Designer, got the ball rolling when he developed a low cost acrylic sheet to use for the optical design. This was a major breakthrough which inspired excitement across the team. A team member says, “This great technology he developed is what created the excitement. Kwong discovered this really great optic and we just had to bring it to market as soon as possible.” Brian Tuulos, New Product Designer and Tyler Gnass, Manufacturing Engineer, teamed up to create product concepts that were different, yet used current manufacturing processes in order to reduce the time to market.

Left: Brand going thtough papers for the design. Right: Gates smiles for the cameras. (LEDinside/Philips)

Ryan Gates, New Product Designer, created an end-cap solution that differentiated the product from existing products. Once their efforts came to fruition and BoldPlay was produced, it became an instant hit. The reaction from the marketplace has been outstanding and it received the award for “Most Innovative Product of the Year” at LightFair 2013.

The team says they had an eagerness to come out with something that was a game-changer. A team member shares, “Our performance objectives were to be industry leading. BoldPlay’s distribution of light compared to our competitors is second to none.” Because they knew they had something with such great potential, it motivated them to harness each other’s strengths and make their ideas a reality. “It’s a bold fixture. It pushed us over the edge in terms of performance AND cost. It’s set the bar high,” a team member says. A colleague shares, “BoldPlay is a testament of what can happen when individuals of different disciplines team up to get the job done.” Looking ahead to their next great innovation, the team has only to look from where they’ve come.

Philips office. (LEDinside/Philips)

BoldPlay: Most Innovative Product of the Year at LightFair 2013 

The jury at Lightfair 2013 awarded BoldPlay with the “Most Innovative Product of the Year” distinction due to its “extraordinary performance with extreme spacing of up to 20′ on center with the photometrics to support it … as well as providing a low-profile stylistic aesthetic.”

BoldPlay is an indirect/direct LED luminaire that uses proprietary MesoOptics and light guide technology to provide uniform light levels at the work plane.