LED luminaire manufacturer for architectural lighting

ERCO is a leading international specialist in efficient architectural lighting with LED technology. The family-owned business in Lüdenscheid in the heart of Germany operates as a global player with independent sales and partner organisations in around 55 countries. Founded in 1934, ERCO pioneered architectural lighting across Europe in the 1960s. In 2015, the company became the first established luminaire manufacturer with a portfolio based entirely on LED technology. ERCO Greenology®, the corporate strategy for sustainable lighting, combines ecological responsibility with technological expertise. Around 1,000 committed and dedicated ERCO employees worldwide ensure that LED technology does not remain just a technology, but is further developed into sustainable lighting tools.

Light is the fourth dimension of architecture

The world around us is three-dimensional. We understand light as an independent, fourth dimension of architecture – and thus as an integral part of sustainable building. Light is the contribution to making society and architecture better and, at the same time, preserving our environment. Our lighting solutions lend buildings, offices and outdoor facilities an additional design dimension and give added value to the people who use them on a daily basis.

Cornerstones of our activity are a passion for visual comfort, technology, design, energy efficiency and customer consultation. We develop high quality, tailor-made and effective lighting solutions for both small and large pioneering construction projects in the urban centres of this world. Light should only be used where it is needed – in other words, where human perception requires it. Perception-orientated lighting design (Human Centric Lighting), implemented in the context of efficient visual comfort, is our mission.

The luminaires are carefully developed and manufactured with a view to the future in our Lüdenscheid light factory, and at the same time our lighting consultants support lighting designers around the globe in implementing their lighting concepts in the best possible way. We develop luminaires according to specifications that are individually tailored to the projects and requirements of our customers. With our ERCO individual service we offer extensive options for the individualisation of series products as well as support in the development of sophisticated special luminaires.

We would be delighted to offer you the possibility of experiencing ERCO lighting tools in operation: in any of our ERCO showrooms worldwide as well as in workshops at our headquarters, and of course at trade fairs and other industry events.

ERCO Greenology® for sustainable lighting

Light is our contribution to making society and architecture better and, at the same time, preserving our environment. We understand light as the fourth dimension of architecture – and thus as an integral part of sustainable building.

ERCO Greenology as a term combines ecological responsibility with technological expertise and is our strategy for sustainable lighting. The sustainable production of durable and efficient luminaires as well as perception-oriented lighting design according to the Human Centric Lighting principle are the pillars of this strategy. Our goal is the CO2 neutral production of lighting tools to make light as effective and therefore as sustainable as possible in application. Lighting Durability stands for our development goal, according to which all newly developed ERCO products are designed for a service life of no less than 20 years. This corresponds to about 75,000 operating hours with a period of illumination of about ten hours per day over 365 days.

For more information, see here.

The Light Factory in the digital age

ERCO was the first classic luminaire manufacturer to exclusively develop LED light. Production at our location in Germany guarantees the maximum precision and quality of our lighting tools – one more reason why we call ourselves the Light Factory. But is the metaphor of a factory not slightly outdated in the era of digitalisation? Not at all. Whilst development work for our innovations may, in some ways, be more representative of the agile, networked approach of digital start-ups,

we combine this with the deep-seated experience of a traditional industrial company that enables us to concentrate on what ERCO has always done best – perfecting architectural light with ultimate precision. The fact that design, production and assembly are all carried out under one roof simplifies our interdisciplinary dialogue and enables maximum quality. Supported by our international network of ERCO lighting consultants, the latest requirements from practice as specified by architects, lighting designers and electrical contractors consistently flow into our development processes.

Efficient visual comfort

Our attitude

Lighting requires energy. Manufacturers, designers, engineers and users are obliged to use limited resources to the greatest effect. ERCO helps you rise to this challenge by supplying only the most efficient LED technology. Efficient visual comfort (EVC) for ERCO means a permanent and consistent optimisation of both the energy efficiency and the light quality through innovative technical concepts that enable sustainable lighting design. EVC, as a strategy, rests on the intent of designing light with focus on the user based on the principles of human perception, requirements of the space and efficient glare control, thereby minimising energy usage. We have defined five quality factors that describe efficient visual comfort at ERCO.

Qualitative lighting design

In putting people at the heart of its strategy, ERCO develops and designs its products with focus on a careful, perception-orientated approach to lighting design. ERCO lighting technology uses light to create hierarchies of perception, and specifically, to ensure optimised performance of the visual task at hand. Qualitative lighting design centres on vertical illuminance and accentuation, as well as glare control. Glare-free surroundings with consistent luminance levels are easier on the eye, eliminating the need to adapt constantly to changing lighting conditions. This enables the designer to produce an energy-efficient solution based on lower illuminance levels and subtle contrasts.

Vertical illuminance

Due to the natural orientation of our visual field, the vertical planes of an environment constitute around 80% of our perception, making them far more important to the subjective perception of brightness than the light on horizontal surfaces. Vertical illuminance, therefore, is a characteristic feature of well-designed and economical lighting concepts. ERCO offers an exceptionally wide range of appropriate lighting tools. Our wallwashers produce a wide and spacious impression of the room whilst reducing visual contrasts to provide excellent lighting for the workplace with minimal energy requirements. The use of LED technology pays off yet again here by producing light of utmost precision and uniformity and ensuring maximum efficiency in energy use and maintenance. The large luminaire spacing possible with ERCO’s wallwashers supports the cost-efficient context of vertical illuminance.

Vertical illuminance

Wallwashing enhances the impression of brightness, making rooms appear more spacious. A differentiated lighting concept with a significant component of vertical illuminance holds the secret to superior efficiency and light quality. Combined with accent light, it reduces contrasts that cause premature eye fatigue. With the vertical planes of an environment making up around 80% of our visual perception, this explains why vertical illuminance plays such a crucial role in qualitative lighting design as well as for the efficiency of the lighting concept.

Intelligent lighting control

ERCO has developed optical systems for LED technology to meet various different lighting requirements efficiently and with enhanced visual comfort. This includes lens systems with ERCO’s patented Spherolit technology, enabling light to be directed precisely where it is needed using the full spectrum of light distribution options. ERCO sources the best high-power LEDs available in the market, specifying the highest standards of colour deviation, lumen maintenance and forward voltage. Combined with excellent thermal management, this ensures optimum operating conditions and a long life of the LEDs.

Effective and efficient technology

Lighting control is essential not only for scenographic effects and concepts, but also to improve energy efficiency. ERCO LEDs perform superbly when dimmed, making them great for flexible installations, and with ERCO control gear, they can be dimmed down continuously to 1%.

Effective lighting technology

Efficient, precise optical systems lower the energy requirement for lighting. A comprehensive array of solutions ensures optimised light distribution for specific lighting tasks. This extends from the asymmetrical wallwasher to various spotlight characteristics. ERCO lighting tools offer highly effective technology designed to direct the light specifically onto surfaces relevant to perception. The projected light of LEDs, combined with the high-quality lens systems provided by ERCO, ensures significant efficiency advantages over conventional light guidance through reflection.

Intelligent lighting control

ERCO offers luminaires for wireless and wired control technologies such as Casambi Bluetooth, DALI and phase dimming. This makes scenic lighting uncomplicated and accessible. Typical is the use of sensors to dim or switch off light in unused rooms according to presence and daylight. With Casambi Bluetooth control via smartphone or tablet, luminaires can be individually switched and dimmed, light scenes set up and sensors integrated. ERCO lighting tools, thanks to in-house developed control gear, feature optimised dimming behaviour, are mostly suitable for film recording and can be continuously dimmed down to 1%.

Efficient LED technology

ERCO’s accomplishments and leading role in architectural lighting with LED are based on the decision to draw on its own expertise in optoelectronics. With in-house development – from LED PCBs and electronics to thermal management – ERCO is always in control of its products and their specific characteristics. Therein lies the basis for the efficiency of our luminaires and the principle at the core of each and every ERCO lighting tool: specifying the highest standards for our high-power LEDs, based on criteria such as colour rendering and constancy, luminous flux and thermal stability, enables us to guarantee consistently exceptional quality in terms of luminous efficacy and long life.

Qualitative lighting design

ERCO lighting tools afford the creative scope required for the lighting design of complex building projects. With this in mind, our products are developed on the basis of a perception-orientated approach to lighting design. The American architect and lighting designer Richard Kelly (1910-1977) distinguished the qualities of light into three basic functions: ambient luminescence, focal glow and play of brilliants. This “language of light” is an optimal solution for the illumination of architecture – from the large open-plan office and boutique through to the library – as it contributes significantly to meeting the requirements of its users. Experience has shown that lighting concepts are considered to be pleasing and successful when all three components – ambient lighting, directed accent light and decorative lighting effects – are present in a well-balanced relationship. The “language of light” is a reliable approach used to analyse and structure lighting concepts and to select the right lighting tools. With a variety of light distribution patterns, warm white and neutral white light, different sizes and lumen categories, the system design for the luminaires in our extensive ERCO range offers all the components required for a differentiated and user-focused lighting concept.

For more information, see here.

Lighting design

Light is essential. Light is poetic. Light provides atmosphere and orientation. People have always used light as a way of creating harmonious places. ERCO understands light as the fourth dimension of architecture. As a design feature in its own right, light can model space and objects using different levels of illuminance and alter the nocturnal appearance of architecture significantly. The ERCO product range is based entirely on LED technology, as a logical consequence of our position in delivering perfect light. LED light, with its flexibility and precision, has widened the options of modelling architecture significantly and can now satisfy any and all requirements. Our lighting tools are developed in close collaboration with architects, lighting designers and electrical consultants. Intensive dialogue with the industry stakeholders gives ERCO a clear, realistic and yet also a visionary idea of what the designer requires. Creative thinking inspires us, and we want to share this inspiration. We see our role as consultants, working in the background to support designers in the implementation of their concepts with targeted solutions.

Ambient luminescence

This type of lighting refers to uniform general lighting, e.g. through downlights or through uniform vertical illuminance. It enables users and observers to find their bearings and provides them with a feeling of safety.

Focal glow

This typifies accent lighting used to emphasise objects, areas and specific zones in a space and to create hierarchies of perception. It is a primary consideration in the scenographic illumination of art and fashion, façades and monuments which are intended to attract attention.

Play of brilliants

This is the decorative light, the light that attracts attention; it is light as an aesthetic end in itself and includes light effects using coloured light as well as decorative luminaires and objects of light art.

Core expertise

Engineering excellence for the light of the future

ERCO develops, designs and produces all the digital lighting tools at its Lüdenscheid base on the southern edge of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan area, in an award-winning facility including laboratories, production and offices, that has been recognised for its architectural merits. It was here that ERCO made the strategic decision in 2006 to focus consistently on LED technology – and to draw on its expertise in optoelectronics. This timely decision has taken the ERCO LED lighting technology to an unparalleled level of excellence that combines with an intelligent system design to offer sophisticated solutions for many and diverse applications in architectural lighting. Genuine passion for innovative technology and state-of-the-art architecture was, is, and remains a key component of the ERCO brand. The synthesis of our perfectionist approach to technical detail and our strategic insight into sustainable, sophisticated and user-oriented architectural lighting permeates every aspect of our work. It is defined by a holistic mind-set that centres on close interdisciplinary collaboration with lighting technicians, design and production engineers, and designers. This dynamic dialogue between the ERCO experts manifests itself in highly efficient and agile product development and enables us to drive innovations, regularly launching premium products at a fast pace.

Research and development
As a cosmopolitan company with a global
brand, ERCO keeps its finger on the pulse of the international lighting and architecture scene, allowing us to translate major trends in technology and design into sophisticated lighting tools. Considering that the quality of the lens system has a huge impact on the characteristics, performance and efficiency of an LED luminaire, ERCO sees a focus of its development work on optoelectronics as the interface between optical systems, electronics and information technology. All products are tested in our in-house laboratory to ensure that they meet the highest standards of performance, light quality and longevity. This holistic approach of considering light as a single unit, from the specification of high-power LEDs to the development of lens systems and control gear through to the creative challenges of a targeted design concept for each project, enables us to guarantee a consistently high quality of our products based on state-of-the-art LED technology.

Product design

From the corporate architecture of our factory through to the clear style of our lighting tools and our meticulous corporate image – design has always been at the heart of ERCO’s process. Strong concepts and creativity form the backbone of a design team focused on the creation of a distinct design language for our LED product range on the principles of functional minimalism. At the same time, our team is permanently engaged with advancing our archetypal, modular system principles, whereby aesthetic aspects of spatial design are given the same attention as functional parameters such as efficient thermal management and glare control. Available in several sizes and with different mounting options, the luminaires in the ERCO range offer an appropriate solution for a wide variety of applications as well as spatial settings and dimensions.

Production and assembly

All processes at the Lüdenscheid facility, from electronics and tool manufacturing all the way to polymer production and metal-working, are closely monitored by ERCO experts and consistently optimised to guarantee efficiency and superior quality. Our electronics production is ESD-secure and the controlled reflow process is continuously monitored, for optimised assembly based on a meticulously researched time and temperature profile. The result is products that ensure long life and remarkably low failure rates. The same attention to detail carries through to the in-house production of ERCO track, providing designers and fitters with the best possible infrastructure to support the installation of lighting systems. Our suppliers are just as carefully selected for lasting partnerships built on trust. Working closely as a team, with short distances between development and production, ensures that ERCO customers can rely on our products 100%.

Application areas

Every room needs its own lighting concept, to support the users, as well as to complement the architecture and the interior. ERCO’s extensive experience in creative architectural and object lighting for different architectural segments links up with state-of-the-art LED technology. We have summarised the individual advantages of ERCO LED lighting tools for modern office, retail, museum, airport and façade lighting on the following pages, which also address the main issues arising in the context of architectural lighting with LED against the backdrop of our eight main application areas.