Osram buys lighting control firm Digital Lumens

29 Aug 2017

Strengthens portfolio for Internet of Things apps based on connected lighting in industrial buildings.

Osram has agreed to acquire, a U.S. company based in Boston, Massachusetts, which specializes in industrial IoT solutions. Founded in 2008, Digital Lumens employs 65 people and in its latest fiscal year generated sales in the “$mid-double-digit millions”.

Digital Lumens’ software runs applications that cover applications ranging from intelligent lighting control, energy use and security systems to measuring environmental parameters, such as air quality. The cloud-based platform is compatible with components and hardware of other manufacturers. Digital Lumens has built a strong customer base for industrial IoT solutions, with more than 2,500 installations so far.

“The acquisition of Digital Lumens puts Osram in a strong position when it comes to offering future-focused digital solutions for the facilities management sector and IoT applications,” said Stefan Kampmann, CTO at Osram Licht.

“By integrating software and sensors in a single platform, we will be able to give businesses a deeper insight into the environment within their buildings and their utilization of space. The platform is also compatible with light products made by other manufacturers.”

Osram added that the acquisition of Digital Lumens from a group of venture capital investors allows it to expand its business with digital lighting solutions and add to its expertise in software, sensors and connectivity.

Monthly charge

Customers using the Digital Lumens cloud-based solution pay a monthly service charge to access data that is continually analyzed by their lighting management system. This allows them to optimize business processes and document process-critical environmental variables.

Tom Pincince, President and CEO of Digital Lumens, said, “Plans are in place to integrate some of Osram’s existing digital services into the platform. This includes the navigation and location solution Einstone, which uses Bluetooth to send targeted offers to users’ smart phones, for example, when they are in retail environments. In a pilot project, significant and measurable increases in sales were achieved, for which Einstone was presented with the Best In-Store Solutions Award at the Euroshop 2017 trade fair.”

Building on its existing product and services business, Osram is increasingly positioning itself not only as a provider of platform-based industrial IoT applications, but also as a partner for tailor-made solutions, which optimize processes within buildings.