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Signify has announced Interact Pro, the latest addition to its Interact IoT-ready portfolio. It’s the first multi-tasking, smart lighting system and software developed for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and is Signify’s latest step to extend its growth and leadership in connected lighting systems, software and services.
Last year, systems and services represented more than EUR 900 million in sales and a comparable sales growth of 51 percent. Signify believes that Interact Pro enables it to continue this growth and extend IoT-ready offerings to new customer segments.
Interact Pro is an intuitive app and dashboard allowing SMBs to control and manage their lighting. This enables them to work smarter while facilitating the productivity and well-being of employees as well as reducing energy costs. Interact Pro works seamlessly with Interact Ready lamps, luminaires, and sensors from Philips. The system gives employees the ability to select the right light to suit their eyesight, task and the time of day.
Research shows that people spend an astonishing 90 percent of their lives in buildings[1], making indoor lighting an important consideration, particularly in the workplace. Interact Pro can improve workplace engagement as it can create an appealing work environment to attract and retain the best talent.
“Good lighting conditions can help improve people’s mood and comfort, while giving them control over their environment increases employee satisfaction and productivity,” said James Gubbins, owner of SME, Pelling Marketing By Design in Farnham in the south-east of England. “This is exactly what we’re experiencing in our office where we’re boosting our productivity by using the Interact Pro app on our smart phones. For example, employees can personalize lighting in their own workspace while sensors in our staff kitchen automatically turn off lights when no one is there. Overall, this has reduced our energy costs by almost 80 percent.”
Smart lighting for smarter businesses
Designed for small to mid-sized commercial spaces that are less than 25,000 square feet, Interact Pro allows up to 200 light points, 15 sensors, and 15 switches per gateway to be connected and managed simultaneously. The cloud-connected Interact Pro software features a web portal, gateway, dashboard and app through which businesses can control their lighting.
Interact Pro is best suited to offices, warehouses and parking garages. Its lighting sensors automatically detect if someone is present, triggering the lights to switch on and then dim when they leave, reducing energy use and cost. Also, the sensors can automatically sense the level of daylight and adjust the light accordingly, so businesses can improve their energy efficiency. Data from the connected lighting system is displayed via the Interact Pro dashboard and app. This enables business owners to make informed decisions on how to manage energy consumption and meet their sustainability targets, thereby demonstrating corporate social responsibility. In addition, the Interact IoT platform allows push notifications and security updates, so the system is kept up-to-date automatically.
“The internet of things is unlocking unparalleled opportunities when it comes to lighting. We’re pleased to be bringing these opportunities to SMBs through Interact Pro,” said Harsh Chitale, Business Group Leader, Professional at Signify. “Increased data and intelligence means that Interact Pro can help SMBs make better decisions about how they make their businesses both more productive and a more pleasant place to work for their staff.”
Breakthrough in commissioning speed
Interact Pro software and Philips Interact Ready lamps and luminaires are enabled by the Zigbee 3.0 open global wireless standard. The wireless connected lighting system with app-based set-up means it can be installed faster than traditional lighting systems. Consequently, installers can move onto the next job more quickly while also minimizing disruption to a client’s business. Interact Pro is the only system that is able to mix luminaires and lamps in a connected system with the same level of features, such as dimming, grouping and scheduling.
Interact Pro allows lighting professionals to provide insight-driven, value-added services, so they can make positive recommendations to their customers and foster longer-term relationships, boosting repeat business. When authorized by the SMB owner, installers can perform remote diagnostics including health status checks via the Interact Pro dashboard. This allows them to easily identify any problem with a lighting system, avoiding wasted trips to client sites.
Interact Pro is being released globally and can be sourced exclusively through Signify channel partners. Training and demonstrations of the new Interact Pro software will be held around the world and support will be provided on an ongoing basis.
