JEDDAH — The nascent lighting market in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is set for growth. While the need to conserve energy and reduce inefficient lighting is driving transformation, the widespread adoption of light-emitting diode (LED), declining illumination package prices, and technology trends such as dynamic lighting, adjustable white light, and wireless control systems are factors fuelling growth. To survive in an evolving ecosystem, vendors should explore partnership and collaborative strategies to harness integration and technology developments while moving towards a complete lighting solution business model.

Frost & Sullivan’s research, Lighting Market in Saudi Arabia (KSA), 2017, analyses global lighting trends as well as the KSA lighting market with a focus on growth opportunities, challenges, drivers, restraints, technology trends, and future outlook.

“Infrastructure build out, on account of increased urbanization, has led to a strong demand for lighting. Intelligent street lighting and integrated lighting solutions that utilized remote monitoring and management of street lighting systems are currently in an experimental phase,” said Frost & Sullivan Homes and Buildings Team Consultant Suganya Rajan. “Increased use of Internet of Things, indoor lighting automation, “Li-fi”, and Lighting-as-a-Service are further trends expected to impact the KSA market in the near future.”

To succeed in an evolving ecosystem, players should:

• Aim for portfolios that reflect 50 per cent contribution from LED lighting in the short to medium terms and 75 per cent in the long term;

• Evaluate the feasibility of manufacturing LED fixtures in the KSA to capitalize on government initiatives;

• Create adaptability within the organisation to cater to variances in needs across different user segments; and;

• Develop strong research and development capabilities within integrated lighting, citywide solutions, infrastructure projects, and Lighting-as-a-Service models.

“The KSA project market is fuelled by large-scale developments across different types of projects, such as housing, economic cities, and industrial zones,” observed Rajan. “The demand for fixtures and controllers presents a strong case for integrators, while elements like lamps will continue to be imported from low-cost sources like China.” — SG