Electric lighting is essential in daily life. It creates visibility, atmosphere, safety and improves productivity.
With the rise of LED technology, artificial lighting has gone through a major transformation. Where 220 Volt used to be the ideal voltage for incandescent bulbs, Light Emitting Diodes operate at much lower voltages. In fact, most modern electronics internally run on low voltages: every mains-powered device converts 220V downwards before it becomes usable. Look around and you will see that every charger and every power supply for TVs, laptops and other devices is designed to turn mains voltage into something much lower.
The market is used to convert a standard 220/230V supply into whatever voltage is actually needed. That process generates heat and requires expensive components and materials.
This raises a simple question: does 220/230V still match today's technology? We believe it doesn't, but we also know it will take time before that standard is fundamentally challenged, let alone replaced by a lower voltage.
At the same time, the drive for energy savings and the growth of alternative energy sources such as solar and wind are pushing low-voltage systems to the forefront. Battery storage systems hold energy in low-voltage cells and typically output at around 48 volts.
And what do people do? We convert that 48 volts back up to 220V for the wall socket, only to immediately convert it down again inside chargers and devices to, for example, 15 volts to charge a cell phone....
With Primalume, we aim to take a step forward with a classic product: electric lighting.
We assume that electricity storage will continue to play a major role in our lives. The output voltage of home battery systems is almost always around 48V. That is why we have developed a LED lighting system that operates on 48V. Highly efficient, no unnecessary heat development and directly connectable to a home battery. At the same time, it is extremely easy to install, operate and maintain.
And if there is no 48V source available yet? No problem. We use a single central converter that transforms 230V to 48V and powers all luminaires. Much more efficient and far more maintenance-friendly.
From two different perspectives: Frank from the technical side and Hans from the commercial side and sharing the conviction that lighting can be better, more efficient and more environmentally friendly, Primalume was created.
We started by asking where our system can add the most value today. The answer: in new-build projects that use modern, future-proof materials and systems. Especially in construction that is prefabricated and modular, produced in a factory environment. This is where a standardized, modular and powerful system really delivers: installation speed, ease of installation, minimal failure costs and a perfect match with our customers' production processes.
Our target markets became clear:
Our products are designed with a strong circular mindset, and we also structure our logistics to be as low-waste and packaging-friendly as possible. We deliver at product or project level in dedicated returnable crates. Following the principle 'empty crate, job done', we support our customers by delivering in a way that minimises both internal logistics and packaging waste.
We design and manufacture in Heusden (NL) and can respond quickly to customer questions and challenges by adapting or extending our products.
Our vision
Technology only has real value when it makes work easier and improves the outcome compared to how things were done before. For the builder who wants to deliver prefab homes and chalets quickly and without defects. For the installer who wants to work without hassle and with a consistently high-quality result. For the entrepreneur who wants to reduce energy and maintenance costs and offer a better product to their customers. And for the end user who simply wants reliable, high-quality light.
Circularity
Sustainability starts at the design stage. That is why our products are modular and fully demountable. No glue, no non-removable parts, but click and screw connections.
That means almost all components can be easily replaced or reused. If a fault occurs, only the defective part is replaced. The rest continues to be used.
Efficient control of the individual LEDs in the light source with minimal energy losses ensures a very long lifetime. We are convinced that most parts of our light source can last a lifetime. So why throw them away when only one element fails?
That is why our light sources are demountable and repairable. This reduces waste streams and allows us to dismantle and recycle components optimally at the end of their lifecycle.
In this way, we reduce waste, lower costs and build a lighting system that is truly circular.
Electronics runs like a recurring theme throughout Frank's life. As a teenager, he was already building mixing consoles for his drive-in disco and repairing televisions in a radio and TV shop as a side job. He went on to become Head of R&D at a medical devices company before founding his own company, 13 Licht & Design.
Frank is the technical conscience of Primalume and responsible for product development.
As the son of a retailer, Hans has held various buying and commercial roles in both B2B and B2C environments. As a concept buyer for companies like Albert Heijn and Gall & Gall and as an electronics buyer at AS Watson (Kruidvat and Trekpleister), he developed a sharp sense of what a product needs to succeed in a given market. In 2010, he started his own business in professional and project-based LED lighting.
Hans is the commercial contact for Primalume and a sparring partner for our customers.
