Today,
our AMN Executive Interview series features Dennis Samfilippo, general manager,
Philips Automotive North America. In the interview, Samfilippo discusses
advancements in the LED lighting segment, the company’s plans this week at
AAPEX and the importance of great packaging design.
Philips
Automotive is unveiling new packaging for the company’s line of premium upgrade
headlight bulbs that were introduced earlier this year. There are a number of factors
that go into great packaging design. What are the most important elements for
Philips and why?
In developing our new packaging scheme we wanted
to make sure we successfully conveyed the key message about our new range of
premium upgrade headlight bulbs, which is to give drivers a great way to enhance
their safety and style. To do this, we wanted a design that would, in a very
simple way, help consumers to clearly and easily understand our features and
benefits so we could move them up to the value chain proposition of our premium
upgrade headlights.
We also wanted to help improve the product’s
retail performance by helping consumers to find the bulb that best fits their
needs and make an easier buying decision. Our design criteria also focused on
developing a more eye-catching design, providing a clear and unobstructed view
of the product, and delivering simplified information on performance level and
application.
Prior to launching our Premium Upgrade Headlight
Bulbs and creating the new packaging, we conducted global studies on consumer
lighting needs and packaging. The studies revealed that the proliferation of lighting
products, brand names and complicated packaging designs offered by major
lighting manufacturers often confused the consumer at point of purchase and
made the buying decision more difficult. We used this information to guide the
creation of our packaging so it would best appeal to the consumer’s interest
and needs.
The company
is introducing a number of new products and innovations at AAPEX this week.
Please give us a sneak preview of what to expect.
You will see an obvious theme to our innovations,
one that focuses heavily on the safety of more light and vision clarity. We
will introduce a couple of new service kits – one for restoring cloudy
headlight lenses to like new condition and the other for treating windshields
to improve clarity.
In keeping with Philips Automotive’s industry
leading role as the LED innovator, we will be showcasing some exciting new LED
products for aftermarket applications. These include the new Philips
X-tremeVision LED Exterior Lighting, the new Philips LED Headlamp,
and the Philips LED Rough Service Bulb.
We will be demonstrating some of these new
lighting products at the show in our special Innovations Room, which is by
invitation only.
Philips
has been a leader in lighting, particularly when it comes to LED advancements. What’s
new in this sub-segment of the lighting category?
As I indicated earlier, Philips Automotive is
lighting the way for fresh opportunities in the aftermarket with several new
LED innovations. I am very proud to say that we will also be first to market
with proven street legal LEDs for stop, tail, and back-up lights with our new
Philips X-tremeVision LED Exterior Lighting line. These LEDs produce up to five
times more light and are long lasting, unlike any other LEDs on the market.
We will also introduce two new LED Replacement
Headlamps, a 5 x 7 Rectangular and 7-inch round. These LED headlamps use the
same LED technology, as you’ll find in the latest performance and luxury
vehicles. They are equipped with high-powered OEM Philips LUXEON Altilon LEDs.
The Philips LED Rough Service Bulb is an ideal
replacement for in-shop, garage, or work area use. Unlike traditional
incandescent rough service bulbs, our Philips LED bulb creates a brilliant
white light, remains cool to the touch, and last substantially longer.
Outside
of actual lighting, you also have two very unique new products to help improve a
driver’s field of vision on the road. Tell us a little more about the Windshield
Treatment Kit and Headlight Restoration Kits that Philips offers.
As mentioned earlier, two very practical service
products designed to help improve the driver’s field of vision have also been
added to the portfolio. Philips Windshield Treatment Kit and Philips Headlight
Restoration Kit.
The Philips Windshield Treatment Kit is a rain-,
snow- and dirt-repellent that dramatically improves driver’s visibility in wet
weather conditions. Its hydrophobic glass cleaning technology makes the removal
of ice, dirt and bugs easier.
The Philips New Headlight Restoration Kit with UV
protection can restore the clarity of clouded plastic headlight lenses to a
like-new condition in less than 30 minutes. The kit features advanced coating
technology that delivers excellent results with minimal effort and does not
require the use of power tools.
In spite of the advanced formulation of these
kits, they can be used equally as well by both the professional service
technician and the average do-it-yourselfer.
Philips has also invested in the development of
how-to videos to support these new kits. In addition to demonstrating how these
products work, the videos will help to increase user confidence before the sale
and while the product is actually being used.
We understand
that Philips Automotive would like to become more of a “one-stop-shop”
for both retail and commercial customers. How do you plan to achieve this goal?
We have done extensive research to determine the
portfolio needs of both our retail and commercial customers. To that end we
have added extensively to our own lighting portfolio to enable our customers to
take full advantage of our “One-Stop-Shop” strategy and capability.
On the service end, Philips complements its upgrade products with a full
name-brand commercial offering of standard OE replacement headlight bulbs and
miniature lamps along with lighting cabinet programs that shops can use to
stock and sell the right lighting inventory for their DIFM customer’s needs.
Philips is fully ACES- and PIES-compliant,
providing customers with complete and accurate vehicle application information
for their catalogs and information systems. For our retail customers, we believe
we offer the best retail portfolio with the latest innovative LED upgrades
together with exciting point of sale plan-o-gram options, which includes state
of the art electronic catalog. The electronic catalog has a 15-second video
featuring our safety and style brand message to assist with the upsell of our
upgrades to consumers.
Looking
ahead, what should we expect to see more of in the lighting segment in terms of
innovation and technological advancements?
Philips Automotive continues to focus on
delivering more innovative automotive lighting solutions that are designed to
further improve the safety and enjoyment of today’s drivers. Unlike other
manufacturers in the automotive lighting business, Philips is going well beyond
its technologically advanced headlight bulbs to stay ahead of the market, and
is addressing the needs of both its retail and commercial customers with
“one-stop shopping” – offering better and more reliable products that
combine 21st Century lighting enhancements with the lifestyle requirements of
today’s drivers.
