Following an intensive two-year research collaboration with Denmark's Aalborg University, and with development funding from the Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation, the MAC 350 Entour has proved a pioneering and energy-efficient alternative to traditional discharge lighting.
The Danish Industry Prize, awarded once a year to honour companies which develop exceptional customer solutions, was conferred at the commercial organisation's Business Summit in Copenhagen on 29 September 29.
"We're very proud to receive this prestigious award, but we're even more proud that we now have a unique product that matches the traditional discharge stage lighting offerings but which consumes far less energy, has a longer life and doesn't contain environmentally harmful materials, such as mercury and heavy metals," says Christian Engsted, CEO of Martin Professional.
The MAC 350 Entour delivers 8,000 lumens of output from extremely efficient 50 W white LEDs, an output greater than many larger 250/300 watt HID fixtures.
"Even the largest LEDs couldn't produce anywhere near the brightness of a single discharge bulb. Several LEDs have to be linked together in order to achieve the same brightness, and that's what makes our MAC 350 Entour unique," explains Engsted. No fewer than five patent applications have been submitted in connection with the new lamp based on LED technology.
"We understand all too well that we are operating in a high-energy consumption industry, so it may sound odd to be talking about 'green' products in this context. However, there are significant environmental benefits to using the MAC 350 Entour," Engsted states. "If we could replace the entire product group with LED products, 510,000 tons less carbon would be released into the atmosphere, a reduction equalling the carbon emissions of 160,000 cars. That's a serious reduction."
Jens Bjerg S°rensen, CEO of Martin parent company Schouw & Co., is pleased with the accolade and sees it as recognition of Martin's ability to stay at the forefront of market developments: "Continuous innovation is an integral part of the business activities of all our companies. Without it, it wouldn't be possible to ensure the future of the company or retain our position as market leader."
The Confederation of Danish Industry Product Prize is awarded every year at the Confederation's Business Summit. The winner is selected on the basis of the ingenuity of the product - with regard to both user-related and product-related innovation. The prize, which is a work of art, originates from the endowment Guldvarefabrikant Bernhard Hertz' Legat.
(Jim Evans)
