TridonicAtco Fürstenfeld and Ledon Lighting Jennersdorf together targeting expansion of LED activities

Date Announced: 12 Mar 2010 -- TridonicAtco Fürstenfeld and LEDON Lighting Jennersdorf under joint management -- Close collaboration between TridonicAtco and LEDON -- Investment in new plant and equipment at both locations Fürstenfeld/Jennersdorf, Austria -– TridonicAtco Fürstenfeld and LEDON Lighting Jennersdorf, both subsidiaries of the Austrian lighting company Zumtobel Group, are to step up their collaboration. The aim of the envisaged joint activities is to drive forward the Group's incipient mass market business with innovative LEDs. To help realise the planned growth, the two companies – the magnetic lighting components factory in Fürstenfeld and the development specialist for innovative LED light sources – are to be placed under joint management. With effect from 1 May 2010, Franz Zerobin, to date Plant Manager at TridonicAtco Fürstenfeld, is to take over the management of LEDON Lighting Jennersdorf from the company's founder and current Managing Director Stefan Tasch. Tasch will continue to contribute to the ongoing development of the Zumtobel Group's LED business in an advisory capacity and will also act as CEO of LUMITECH Holding, a key partner to LEDON Lighting. "The success story of LEDON Lighting continues," explains Stefan Tasch. "We're on the threshold of the mass market and at this point we need new skills to master the challenge successfully. As an expert in product industrialisation, Franz Zerobin is the ideal man for the job." "I'm looking forward to driving the growth of both locations under my leadership in future," said Zerobin. "The two locations will remain separate entities. LEDON Lighting Jennersdorf remains the centre of competence for the development and production of LED components and modules. TridonicAtco Fürstenfeld will be partnering with LEDON Lighting in the assembly of LED chains and other LED products." To add impetus to the mass market business with innovative LED products, the Zumtobel Group is currently investing in new plant and equipment at both sites. At LEDON Lighting Jennersdorf annual capacity will be increased in the short term from its current level of 45 million LEDs to 65 million LEDs, representing an investment of around EUR 2 million. Plans for the Fürstenfeld location envisage the start-up of highly automated high volume production of LED chains in the summer of 2010, calling for an investment of EUR 1.5 million over the next two years. In addition, TridonicAtco Fürstenfeld will also remain TridonicAtco's centre of competence for magnetic products. "LEDON Lighting Jennersdorf and TridonicAtco Fürstenfeld make the ideal partners in our efforts to outpace the competition as we drive progress on the key future topic of LEDs. We are fortunate in this region, in that we have not only the necessary development expertise but also the opportunity to take this technology of the future into industrial-scale production. At the same time, this step sends out an important signal for future job security in the region," said Walter Ziegler, CEO of TridonicAtco, Dornbirn.

Contact
Media contact Zumtobel Group and LEDON Lighting Jennersdorf Astrid Kühn-Ulrich Tel. +43-(0)5572 509-1570 [email protected] Media contact TridonicAtco Fürstenfeld Claudia Schenner-Klivinyi Tel. +43-(0)3382 55410 7387

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