Every week, Electronics Weekly puts five big questions to an industry expert. This week, EW talks to Adrian Rawlinson, managing director of Cumbria-based LED manufacturer Marl International.

1.  Can you describe your business in two sentences?

A pioneer in the LED industry, which is recognised for engineering expertise and scope of design and production facility. One of the few companies manufacturing in the UK.
 
2.  What is the biggest commercial opportunity for LEDs?

This has to be general lighting, if one defines “biggest” as a combination of unit volume and potential sales revenue. My own opinion is that the tipping point for mass adoption of solid state Lighting will be in 2010/2011.

3.  What is the biggest challenge to the development of a high volume LED market?

It is interesting to compare how different the opto-electronics and lighting markets are. I am referring here to issues such as the language and terminology used, and the fragmentation of the supply chains.

There are three factors which will influence speed of adoption, these are:
• Knowledge about how best to utilise LED technology for lighting applications
• Improving the standards and specification of high brightness LEDs
• Significant and demonstrable reduction in both initial procurement and total through life costs

4.  Why do you still manufacture in the UK?

Maintaining a high degree of direct control over manufacture and supply gives us the edge in terms of meeting customer expectations and particularly when these are subject to change at short notice.

5.  Is UK manufacturing viable in the long term?

There is both a need and a strong case to be made for retention, support and investment for high value added manufacturing in the UK. Just one example lies in the topical climate change and energy security scenario.

Solid state Lighting can play a small yet significant part within the opportunity for the UK to take a leading role in the global market to provide technological solutions, capability and capacity in this rapidly expanding market in direct response to climate change.

I agree with Sir John Rose of Rolls-Royce who recently expressed the view that the service sector alone cannot provide a resilient and sustainable economy.

See also: Q5 - Interviews with electronics industry leaders.
Read all the Electronics Weekly Q5 interviews. From ARM's chairman, Sir Robin Saxby, to touchscreen technology firm Zytronic's MD, Mark Cambridge, the business leaders share their particular insights on the UK electronics industry.

See also: Q5 - Interviews with electronics industry leaders.
Read all the Electronics Weekly Q5 interviews. From ARM's chairman, Sir Robin Saxby, to touchscreen technology firm Zytronic's MD, Mark Cambridge, the business leaders share their particular insights on the UK electronics industry.