Dennis Samfilippo started his career in 1973 with General Motors, Cadillac Division as a heavy equipment operator. During his time, while also pursuing his degree, he progressed to Computer Operator, Computer Programmer, Systems Analyst then Project Leader. After earning his bachelors in business administration 1983 from Detroit College of Business, he left General Motors and went to Rockwell International as the Information Systems Manager at their truck driveline manufacturing plant in Allegan, Mich. In 1987, he left Rockwell and joined Aero-Motive Co., an industrial manufacturer in Kalamazoo, Mich., where he served in several roles starting as information technology manager then progressed to inside sales and government contracts manager, to marketing manager, then lastly, Midwest regional sales manager. In 1990, he earned his masters of arts degree in Management from Nazareth College in Kalamazoo, Mich. Samfilippo left Aero-motive in 1994 to join Wartsila Diesel, a manufacturer of diesel engines for marine and power plant applications to become the general manager, Service and Parts Division North America located in Annapolis, Md. In 1996, he moved the business to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., to be closer to its customer base and was named vice president, Service and Parts Division NA, and simultaneously named board member, Global Service & Parts Group and Director Wartsila NA. In 1997, he was promoted to vice president of the Americas and appointed to an additional board seat of Wartsila’s South American company. Samfilippo left Wasilla two years after it acquired New Sulzer Diesel and in 1999 became the North American Operations & Acquisition Integration manager with Delphi Corp., within its Products and Service Solutions Division in Troy, Mich. In 2003, he was promoted to Global Product Line Manager, OE Service, Independent Aftermarket & Specialty Markets at Delphi’s Steering Gear Division in Saginaw, Mich. He left Delphi in 2005 to become CEO at Inalfa Sunroofs, an aftermarket manufacturer and distributor of inbuilt sunroofs and accessories located in Wixom, Mich. After performing a successful turnaround, he sold the company to synergy investors and returned to Delphi’s Saginaw Steering Gear Division in 2007 to become its Global Business Unit Manager, OE Service, Independent Aftermarket & Specialty Markets. Samfilippo left Delphi’s Saginaw Steering Gear Division shortly before it was re-purchased by General Motors and in 2010 joined Philips Lighting, a manufacturer and distributor of OEM and aftermarket automotive lighting to become its general manager, Business Group Automotive NA.

You were appointed General Manager of Philips Lighting North America in May 2010. It’s been a little over a year now that you’ve been in this role – how’s it going so far, and what are your goals for the division moving forward?

Everything is really going great! I have a wonderful team of automotive lighting experts, a great product portfolio, a top 50 brand worldwide, as well as Philips rich OEM heritage to draw upon. With our extensive product portfolio and great team, our primary goal is to grow the North American business. And grow it has, this year alone we are forecasting 30 percent plus growth year-over-year. It’s been fairly easy to grow with our long tradition of innovation and staying focused on improving our customers’ lives. As the automotive industry moves fast, so do we. We were the first to manufacture the high-performance aftermarket halogen lamp, the first environmental friendly lamp and the first blue halogen lamp. Philips offers new innovative products that include both premium upgrades and standard replacement lighting; products which are safer, more stylish and environmentally friendly.

What are the keys to innovation and staying ahead of the curve in the lighting category?

As I already mentioned, Philips has a rich tradition of innovation. We are committed to developing and bringing to market the most reliable, most technologically advanced and cutting-edge automotive lighting solutions available today, which is why we’re the preferred choice of all major automotive lighting manufacturers. One in every three vehicles worldwide contains a Philips light source. Our employees endeavor on a daily basis, to find the most innovative automotive lighting solutions that enhance peoples’ lives in the car, on the road and around the world. 

What automotive lighting trends do you think have been the biggest success stories of the past decade, and why?

Vehicle personalization through headlamp upgrades meets the needs of a growing diverse population desiring more light on the road as well as the explosion of LED lighting technology within both OE and aftermarket automotive lighting applications.

Philips contributes to both vehicle personalization and utilization of LED technology through the introduction of our aftermarket LED Daytime Running Lights (DRLs) and our LED retrofits lamps, which are LED interior lighting for vehicles. We also offer an extensive line of aftermarket headlight upgrades for anyone looking for a vehicle lighting solution that puts more light on the road. 

What trends are you seeing today in vehicle customization with automotive lighting?

We are experiencing a tremendous response to our LED DRL introduction, which has become a huge hit in the aftermarket. They are very stylish, easy to install and extremely durable. So, as expected, we are beginning to see copies of our DRLs but our products are DOT/SAE-compliant and we offer a three-year warranty from purchase that speaks to our great quality and technology as well as differentiating us from the pack. We also have seen a significant increase in people upgrading their headlights and expect this trend to grow over the next 10 years as awareness of the benefits of more light on the road increases.

Therefore, one of our goals at Philips is to increase awareness that lighting is a customization category with the benefits of style and safety. As mentioned, we’ve launched Philips LED DRLs and the LEDs are our own high-powered Philips LUXEON Rebel LEDs that project a powerful, bright white light. We’re proud to say that you can be sure Philips has the best automotive products on the market.

Tell us about the role that automotive lighting plays in motorist safety today.

Automotive lighting is extremely important when it comes to safety on the road. Philips automotive lighting allows drivers to see and be seen. In our safety segment, we offer products that increase overall visibility and maximize safety by providing more light.

We’ve harmonized and simplified our product portfolio to enhance end-users' lives by providing new innovative lighting solutions. This week at AAPEX, we are launching our new innovative lighting solutions, “Vision,” which offers 30 percent more light, “VisionPlus,” which offers 60 percent more light and our brightest halogen lamp “X-treme Vision,” which offers up to 100 percent more light than a standard halogen lamp. Our lamps are reliable with better, brighter and more powerful light output thanks to their special composition and precision engineering. So through our “more light on the road” strategy and by consistently producing the best upgrade solutions on the market we hope that one day our products will be saving lives while they light up the way home.

In July, Philips unveiled two new Daytime Running Lights. Tell us about these new products. 

Yes, we’ve launched two new great products, LED DayLight 8 and 4 DRLs that give automotive enthusiasts the latest in high-performance and style. As previously mentioned, LEDs are becoming the newest trend in the aftermarket; therefore we’ve launched solutions to fulfill the needs of those wanting the OE look. Philips LED DRLs increase drivers’ safety and add the stylish look seen on today’s high-end vehicles. The LED DayLight lets drivers switch from using their standard headlights to a LED light source during the daytime, extending the life of the headlights. Philips LED DayLight 8 and DayLight 4 are designed to last for the life of the vehicle eliminating the need for maintenance. Both LED DRLs automatically turn on at the start of the engine, however LED DayLight 4 turns off when the parking lights are on and LED DayLight 8 dims by 50 percent. They substantially increase the visibility of the car to other drivers and pedestrians, and have been proven to contribute to a significant reduction in accident rates. Our LED DRLs feature our own high-powered LUXEON Rebel LEDs that projects a powerful, bright white light and a wider beam than the average LED DRL. Philips LED DRLs are DOT/SAE compliant. For the fastest and easiest installation, our LED DayLight DRLs are equipped with two LED modules, plug n’ play connectors, snap-in mounts and complete wiring and mounting hardware.

Any other new products in the pipeline? 

Our key to success is innovation and we’ve launched several new technologies at AAPEX this year. The new technologies are GoPure, an Automotive Clean Air System, LED Work lamps, LED Interior Lamps, LED SafeRide Bike Lights and LED DayLight Daytime Running Lights. 

We’re the first to market the most effective automotive air purification product. The GoPure Automotive Clean Air System is a revolutionary new way to purify the air inside your vehicle. Philips GoPure lets drivers breathe cleaner air by eliminating harmful gases, common pollutants and other particles from the vehicle cabin using our patented three-stage filtering process. Philips GoPure Automotive Clean Air System is the solution that allows drivers to enjoy, Healthy Air on the Go! Also available are GoPure replacement filters that include one HEPA filter and three HESA filter for optimal performance.

We’ve also launched a full range of LED Worklamps that includes a Philips utility LED Penlight, an automotive LED inspection lamp with 30-foot cable and an LED inspection lamp with rechargeable docking station. Our Philips Worklamps are ideal for everyday work environments and designed to hold up to the most demanding in-shop use. Philips advanced LED technology uses only a fraction of the electricity used by conventional Halogen and fluorescent worklamps. The Philips LED Penlight has 6 powerful high-quality long lasting LEDs that projects a cool, white and very intense light but still fits conveniently in your shirt pocket. The LED automotive inspection lamp has 45 powerful LEDs that have a wide angle illumination and slim design. The Philips LED Inspection Lamp with rechargeable docking station has 15 powerful LEDs and equipped with an integrated UV light for A/C leak detection.

Within our LED lineup, we’ve also launched new Philips Vision and BlueVision LED Interior Lights that lets drivers add more style and greater illumination to their car’s interior. These LED interior lights are direct replacement of standard halogen Festoon and T10 miniature lamps. Philips LED Vision lights provide maximum interior visibility with a 4,000 K white light that’s much closer to the look of daylight than traditional incandescent interior bulbs. Philips LED BlueVision takes it up a notch with the blue/white look of Xenon HID and a brilliant white light of 6,000 K.

In addition to automotive LEDs, we’ve also introduced a new generation of lighting products that offer bicyclists increased visibility Philips SafeRide BikeLight is battery driven powered by two Philips LUXEON LEDs which also affords the bicyclist the benefits of “more light on the road."