FARMINGTON HILLS, MI — Philips Automotive Lighting North America, a division of Royal Philips Electronics and one of the world’s largest suppliers of lighting for the automotive industry, has been selected as the 2005 recipient of the Frost & Sullivan Product Line Strategy of the Year Award. Frost & Sullivan, created the award after completing its analysis of the North America Lighting Aftermarket.
According to Frost & Sullivan, Philips Automotive Lighting optimized its product line by leveraging its products against various price, performance and feature points required by vehicle owners. Frost & Sullivan research analyst Stephen Spivey, noted, “Elements of the company’s successful product line strategy included the introduction of new products strategically positioned to balance the product line and the ability to accommodate different market segments. Enhancement of product offerings through optimization of packaging and customer service, strategic marketing alliances that support higher sales and distribution and future product lines also contributed to the company’s successful strategy.”
Philips Automotive Lighting, inventor of the Halogen bulb and Xenon HID lighting, manufactures and markets a broad array of replacement and upgrade bulbs for the North American aftermarket that meet the needs of different drivers. The latest addition to the Philips Automotive Lighting product line is NightGuide, an innovative new headlamp bulb featuring tri-color beam technology that maximizes forward vision and increases visual comfort and road sign recognition. Philips Automotive Lighting has also enhanced its portfolio with two DOT approved lighting upgrades: CrystalVision, a high performance bulb targeting the tuner market with the look of high intensity discharge (HID) lighting and VisionPlus, a powerful bulb specifically designed to appeal to older motorist and drivers with less than 20/20 vision.
“Philips’s depth and breadth of product coverage separates it from other participants in this market,” said Spivey. “Other manufacturers may have similar products, but Philips Automotive Lighting products differ from each other and have relative benefits for the use of each type of bulb. It is this clearly defined approach to automotive lighting that identifies different user groups and designs products targeted directly to their needs that sets Philips apart from its competitors.”
Frost & Sullivan also cited Philips Automotive Lighting for providing a complete support program for its market. Philips products are user friendly to both distributors and vehicle owners. Wholesale buyers receive excellent support for questions regarding the part numbers that need to be sold with the particular vehicle models. Philips also offers valuable portfolio management solutions to its retailers, ensuring that they carry the right components in the right quantities. Retail customers find additional value in the company’s color-coded packaging, which helps them choose the right bulb for their vehicle.
Philips Automotive Lighting has also forged and maintained key partnerships across the value chain to develop new products as the industry moves to more advanced lighting sources. For example, the parent company, Royal Philips Electronics, recently acquired Lumileds Lighting to develop and market light-emitting diodes (LEDs). LEDs represent the future of automotive lighting, with advantages that include high design flexibility and unlimited service life. Automakers are steadily increasing the use of LEDs to replace incandescent bulbs in taillights, dashboards, and other interior applications.
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