Smart, integrated facility management is the key issue that employers grapple with when it comes to renovating and constructing buildings. Easy-to-operate light management plays an important role in this aspect and results in optimised building utilisation. LITECOM is a product developed by Zumtobel to optimise building utilisation. With LITECOM, Zumtobel is entering a new dimension of light management systems. For seven years, Iftest has been an important partner for Zumtobel, handling the development and series production of the LITECOM control module’s high-tech electronics.

Efficiency and sustainability have been keywords in the real estate industry for a long time. Engineers and architects are focusing increasingly on high energy and cost efficiency when constructing and renovating buildings. The aim is for future buildings to only use the amount of energy they actually require. With the intelligent light management system LITECOM, Zumtobel offers lighting technology that provides the consumer with control over the entire lighting environment and gathers important data. The modern light management system provides the perfect lighting at all times as it adjusts to the outside light. LITECOM thus increases the energy efficiency of the building while improving the comfort of people living within it. The smart light management system connects people and lighting, and enters a new dimension.

Pleasant lighting thanks to intelligent usage

Implementing LITECOM equally increases both the efficiency of buildings and people’s comfort. This was recently recognised by an architecture company from Zurich. They have implemented the modern Zumtobel light management in their new offices. The daylight measurement head installed on the roof enables the offices to optimally utilise natural daylight. As a result, employees can enjoy high-quality light and benefit from the ideal working environment.

A large international car manufacturer also relies on the intelligent light management at their Swiss subsidiary and adapts their room lighting to their actual needs. The sales team is thus able to stage cars with the ideal lighting atmosphere at all times. This is a sales promotion measure that is particularly useful when it comes to selling emotive products such as cars.

LITECOM control unit for optimised building utilisation with Iftest electronics

The Zumtobel product LITECOM is a core element of the light management system for all these applications and in buildings around the world. In addition to extensive range of applications such as remote control, optimised and individual light control programs to save up to 82% of required energy, and the linking of over 2500 lights, the intelligent light system offers more special features that go even further. As part of an IoT solution, for example, the lighting system gathers data for efficient light usage. In addition, LITECOM can analyse how the illuminated area is used and whether the energy consumption is appropriate. Another function of the intelligent system is that it continuously checks if the maintenance and cleaning intervals correspond to the actual usage amount. An optimisation can thus lower operating costs.

There are versatile applications including control via 20 user-specific apps on a desktop, tablet, TV or smartphone. The key behind these applications are the high-tech electronics from Iftest. The electronics company from Wettingen, Switzerland has been working closely with Zumtobel since 2011 to develop the light management control unit for LITECOM. Iftest benefits from the full integration of development, fast prototype manufacturing, industrialisation, and series production at the same site. This enables the ongoing development and quick implementation of changes. The CE certification was awarded in 2014, and Zumtobel introduced LITECOM to the market in 2015. Since then, Iftest has been producing the electronics boards for the control unit and assembling them to the final module.

Successful partnership

However, the successful development, market launch and series production didn’t mean that all technical challenges had been overcome. When a component unexpectedly became obsolete in 2016, a hardware redesign had to be carried out on very short notice. Thanks to its established obsolescence management, Iftest is prepared for such situations and was able to quickly provide Zumtobel with an equivalent solution.

Zumtobel expressed their satisfaction regarding their collaboration with Iftest: ‘We have been working with Iftest on the development and constant improvement of the LITECOM module for seven years. During this period, Iftest has proven time and again that it has structured its processes excellently and is always flexible and open to new ideas. We are therefore able to fully concentrate on successful product development,’ says Thomas Fitz, Team Leader Technical Sourcing at Zumtobel, about his experience with Iftest.

© Zumtobel

Learn more about LITECOM and electronics development at Iftest