The construction sector continues to boom in New Zealand, with new homes and business
premises springing up across the country. Taupō-based lighting company Pure LED is
benefiting from this growth. The company offers a range of imported and locally designed
LED lighting products and automated solutions to wholesalers. The range includes wirelessly
controlled light mesh, and smart lights that automatically adjust to changes in natural light
or based on occupancy.
“There has been huge growth in automated lighting” says Sukumar Gudalore, Director of
Pure LED. “There are a lot of buildings with traditional lighting that are looking to upgrade,
and every new residential home needs energy efficient lighting. We have options for making
the lights smart and energy efficient even if LED lights have already been installed or
provide new solutions. ” he says.
Taupō local Daniel Deere, CEO of Pure LED, started the business by importing lightbulbs and
selling them out of his garage. “It took me a while to break into the market and create a
brand presence with the wholesalers. Customers were used to dealing with big companies. I
focused on offering consistently great service and quality products. As a small team, we
were also able to make decisions quickly and adapt to customer needs, which the
wholesalers liked” says Daniel.
The company, which was listed in the Deloitte ‘Fast 50’ 2019, has recently developed LED
Smart Mesh. The product creates a secure wireless mesh within large buildings. Lighting can
be connected to this network and sensors can be used to dim or switch off lights based on
room occupancy and natural light. Pure LED is also testing adding an asset tracking option to
the system. “The mesh system allows lighting to become part of the communication
network. It can track assets and people within the building, and doesn’t rely on the regular
GPS network used by other mapping tools. It has lots of potential, including use in
warehouses, hospitals and aged care facilities” says Sukumar.
Both local and international customers are showing interest in the smart mesh product,
including hospitals and mining companies. Pure LED are now looking to double the size of
their Manuka Street warehouse and employ more staff. They are now one of a small
number of Taupō businesses who can receive shipments directly from the port to the
factory, completing customs clearance in-house.
According to Sukumar, the business’s success lies in their approach to planning. “Daniel and
I spend time working out where we want to be, and identifying where our gaps are. We talk
to our customers, our team, and look at what’s happening in the market. It’s about investing
in things now that you’ll need for the future and making decisions at the right time. It can be
pretty risky if you don’t plan, as you’re always on the back foot and reacting” says Sukumar.
Daniel says Taupō has been an ideal location to build the nationwide business and that
there are a lot of economic opportunities. “Initially some of the wholesalers wanted us to
have a distribution centre in Auckland. But now they realise we can easily get products to
Auckland on an overnight courier. Living in a smaller town means we get to know the
courier drivers personally, so we can build strong relationships. That sort of thing is much
harder in the bigger cities” says Daniel.
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