Around the Industry - Oct. 5, 2012

Lighting Science Group to outsource some LED manufacturing

LED lighting manufacturer Lighting Science Group Corp., Satellite Beach, Fla., says it’s expanding an existing relationship with global electronics manufacturer Jabil Circuit, St. Petersburg, Fla., to gain “greater scale, global production capabilities, a stronger supply chain and faster speed to market for its new products.”

Jabil manufactures electronic components for customers in a broad array of industries including electronics, defense, health-care, green-tech and computers and is reportedly manufacturing the aluminum casing of the iPhone5. According to a press release announcing the agreement, between now and the year-end Lighting Science Group will be transitioning its manufacturing production in Monterrey, Mexico, to Jabil. Once the transition is complete, LSG says production will cease at the Monterrey facility. Additionally, the company is increasing investments in its Satellite Beach, Fla., manufacturing facility, where it will focus primarily on the production of large-scale, custom lighting products and its infrastructure and roadway product lines.

Schaedler Yesco among 50 fastest-growing companies in central PA

Schaedler Yesco Distribution, Inc. (SYD), Harrisburg, Pa., was recently named as one of the “Top 50 Fastest Growing Companies,” an award program designed to recognize and honor businesses that have made significant contributions to growth, strength and success in central Pennsylvania. This is the fifth time Schaedler Yesco achieved this award.

Schaedler Yesco and the other 49 winners were honored at an awards breakfast on Sept. 10. More information about the awards program and winners can be found on Central Penn Business Journal’s website.

Van Meter makes Iowa’s list of Top Workplaces

Van Meter Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa., was named to the list of Iowa’s Top Workplaces of 2012 by the Des Moines Register and Workplace Dynamics. The company ranked 4th in the category of top mid-sized companies. The Top Workplaces are determined based solely on employee feedback. The survey is conducted by WorkplaceDynamics, LLP, a research firm focused on organizational health and employee engagement.

MaxPower gets national franchise for GE UPS products

GE’s Digital Energy business announced a national distributor agreement with MaxPower Corp., Denver, under which MaxPower will stock and resell GE’s single-phase and three-phase UPS systems and other surge protection products throughout the United States. MaxPower sells to approximately 1,200 resellers for both power and IT infrastructure, which in turn sell to an end-user customer base.

“MaxPower is an industry-leading UPS master distributor, which we feel will help us grow into the IT/facilities user base of customers,” said Ray Prince, UPS segment leader, North America for GE’s Digital Energy business.