Sure, it might seem daunting, but taking your backyard to-do list one item at a time lets you accomplish more than you think over the course of a weekend. Get your backyard in tip-top shape by tackling a combination of these tasks (depending on your setup) and before you know it, your outdoor space will be ready for barbecues and plenty of entertaining.

Revive wood furniture. Dont get intimidated! Most of the time needed for this project is letting the pieces dry completely between steps. Using a kit like Furniture Clinics Garden Furniture Restoration Kit gives you everything you need to clean, brighten, and condition your wood furniture, as quickly and easily as possible.

Refinish metal furniture. Over time, metal furniture can develop chips in the finish and rust, and a little regular maintenance can help stop it in its tracks. Check the forecast for a warm, dry day [and] work in a shady, protected area if possible, says Rachel Rothman, chief technologist at the Good Housekeeping Institute. First, use a small wire brush to wipe away the rust spot, clean with soap and water and let it dry completely. Use a spray paint thats formulated for metal and outdoor use to reseal the raw metal areas. Let the paint dry completely before exposing it to the elements.

Garden Furniture Restoration Kit

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Gloss Protective Enamel

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Get garden beds under control. Carolyn Forte, the cleaning lab director at the Good Housekeeping Institute, says taking time to pull weeds by hand actually gets the job done quicker than you might think. Make sure the soil around your annuals is nicely aerated and get rid of any and all debris, she explains. Putting down mulch helps prevent new weeds from popping up during the season and makes beds look neater.

Pro tip: Use a flat-edged shovel to straighten out any uneven edging around the beds.

Power wash outdoor surfaces. Banish mold, mildew and dirt from your patio and siding with the help of an easy-to-use power washer. Theres no need to get a commercial grade machine for a job like this; a small model works well. First wash down surfaces and remove loose debris, and use the lowest possible pressure that is effective, says Rothman. As a general rule, Rothman advises using the broadest and lowest pressure nozzle you can, and to test an inconspicuous area first. Stand at least six inches away as you work your way in a sweeping motion and maintain a consistency distance from the siding. Hold the tip of the nozzle at an angle above the surface you are cleaning. Watch out, the instant squeaky-clean results can be a little addicting!

Add the right accents. Bring a little bit of your indoor style outside, with rugs and pillows that are weather resistant. There are so many options these days! You want to get accessories that are easy to keep clean and hose off when neededlook for outdoor rugs made with polypropylene. Its durable and easy to clean, and the texture feels surprisingly close to what youd find in an indoor rug. If youre not buying new, you can treat your existing outdoor cushions and pillows with a UV fabric spray to prevent fading and stains, Rothman says.

Second Skin Garden Gloves

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Michaela Indoor / Outdoor Area Rug

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Fill hanging planters and pots. One of the to-dos many people miss is replacing dirt in their pots and hanging planters, Forte explains. After any summer season, nutrients in the soil will be depleted. Replacing or mixing in some new soil or compost will give your new plants what they need to grow all summer long. If youre filling a larger pot and dont want it to get too heavy, you can use leftover Styrofoam on the bottom instead of filling it completely with dirt, she says.

Mow the lawn, but not as short as you think. It turns out less is more when it comes to your lawn. Keep your mower blades sharp and make sure youre only cutting a third of the grass length, as cutting it too short will weaken it. You should raise your mower deck so you are removing less with each cut, says Rothman. Keeping most cool-season grass in the 2.5 to 4-inch range will keep your lawn healthier."

Pro tip: If you plan to water your grass, do it in the morning or early evening; water will evaporate at midday.

Add some lighting. Dont underestimate the magic of bistro-style lights in your outdoor space. Vertical lines over an outdoor seating area always look niceor simply drape them along your fence line. As a time saver, use lighting clips to make the whole job a cinch. They attach to whatever surface is available and the light cords clip right in. Worried about outdoor power? Try solar lights.

Freshen up the fire pit. If youve invested in a beautiful fire pit, youll want to keep it looking pristine for as long as possible. The secret to longevity is cleaning out completely cooled ash after a fire. Simply brush it out of the bottom of your fire pit between uses. If you dont want to worry, invest in a water tight cover to go over your fire pit between uses.

Pro tip: Avoid letting water mix with ash in your fire pit; over time it turns into lye, which eats away at metal.

Clean the grill. The biggest mistake people make when cleaning a grill is trying to scrape off stuck-on gunk while the grates are cold. Instead, work with a warm grill and a high quality, metal-bristled grill brush thats in good condition to clean. Then, lubricate the grates with a high heat oil. Once the grill cools down, remove and clean the drip trayyou never want to store it with grease in it because it attracts animals, says Forte. Line it with aluminum foil to make clean up easier next time.

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Solar String Lights, Set of 2

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Taking time where you have it to complete these little outdoor projects can make a big impact on the look and feel of your yard! Get started today and youll be blown away by how much more welcoming your outdoor space looks.

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10 Ways to Beautify the Backyard in One Weekend - GoodHousekeeping.com

Neil Coppinger and Colleen OHara

Signify, a world leader in lighting technology, has expanded its horticulture team in North America to support business development efforts in the region. Neil Coppinger and Colleen OHara have joined the U.S. team as Key Account Managers and will be responsible for developing new business opportunities and driving sales growth of Philips LED horticulture grow lights across all customer segments.

Coppinger will support sales efforts in the Central U.S. and Southeast, OHara will support sales efforts in the Northeast. Both bring extensive knowledge and experience in the application of horticulture LED lighting technology.

Coppinger comes to Signify with 13 years of agriculture and horticulture technology sales experience. He most recently served as National Sales Director at BIOS Lighting, where he worked with greenhouse and indoor growers to adopt and integrate horticultural lighting solutions. Prior to that, Coppinger held roles at Motorleaf, a company specializing in artificial intelligence for greenhouse production, and at LED grow lighting manufacturers Heliospectra and Lumigrow.

OHara, based in southern New Jersey, brings extensive horticulture knowledge and experience to Signify, most recently as Commercial Sales Manager for the Mid-Atlantic region at Hawthorne Gardening. Prior to joining Hawthorne, she was the East Coast Regional Business Development Manager for BIOS Lighting with an emphasis on providing lighting solutions for cannabis cultivators. Before joining BIOS, she served as Director of Sales for HiFarm, a craft cannabis cultivator in Portland, OR.

Signify Key Account Managers are responsible for developing new business and driving sales growth across customer segments including greenhouse food, floriculture, vertical farms, medicinal cannabis, and research institutes and universities. Key Account Managers collaborate closely with Signify Plant Specialists and Project Application Engineers to facilitate co-creation with growers and develop tailored lighting solutions to meet their needs.

Brian Sparks is senior editor of Greenhouse Grower and editor of Greenhouse Grower Technology. See all author stories here.

Read more here:
Signify Adds Expertise to Its Horticulture Lighting Team - Greenhouse Grower

Anonym Studio has designed a stunning 1,080 sq. meter home in Bangkok, Thailand, that comes with a full rock climbing wall and a gradient brick facade that allows dazzling patterns of light to shine in.

Dubbed Sailom House, the project is a four-story home that accommodates three families. The complex, designed in 2020, is meant to replicate a serviced apartment with functional spaces on each floor that all members can use.

On the first floor, common areas like the kitchen and living room have been laid out for communal use. Above that, each upper floor houses the residents bedrooms, along with additional living areas and pantries. Each story is linked together via two internal courtyards that open up into a space between the ground and fourth floor.

Notably, the house features an intricate climbing wall, an add-on requested by the owner who is an avid climber. The court hosts a walkway on each floor meant to overlap and combine spaces. The roof is elevated at the upper part of the court, creating a void that best facilitates airflow and natural lighting. The outdoor and indoor spaces meld together intentionally, allowing wind and light to obscure elements that exist inside and outside of the home.

The highlight of the home is the slotted brick facade that offers natural ventilation and a variety of dynamic patterns. The designers say that the brick materials were affordable, accommodate airflow and allow for heightened safety. The facade provides refuge to areas of the home that are exposed to excessive amounts of sunlight and has varying patterns that allow for more or less privacy, depending on where theyre placed. For the top parts of the house, the bricks become more perforated and airier, whereas the lower areas have tighter brick clusters.

The space between the home and the facade has been fashioned into a veranda dotted with potted plants, creating a greener living space. The buildings architects say the bricks used in the facade were styled without making any cuts, so calculating the ranges between each block, beam and lintel was done with intention.

There is this element of craft to it as well, said Phongphat Ueasangkhomse, one of the homes architects.

The beams above the brick facade were left deliberately exposed, as were the air conditioning pipes in the living room, leading to a rustic and industrial feel. I like this house because it isnt about the crisp and polished details. We did everything the way it could and should be done. I wasnt too serious or trying too hard about making everything flawless, and thats what I love most about it, added Phongphat.

In other news, Sothebys International Realty listed a home in Houston, Texas, nicknamed The Darth Vader House due to its angular design. Check it out here.

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This Home in Thailand Features a Rock Climbing Wall and Light-Filled Brick Facade - HYPEBEAST

The global lighting contactor market is projected to reach USD 1,111.0 million by 2023, at a CAGR of 8.53%, during the forecast period.

According to the new market research report Lighting Contactor Market by End-User (Smart Residential Complexes, Commercial, Industrial, and Municipal), Type (Electrically Held and Mechanically Held), Application (Indoor and Outdoor), and Region Global Forecast to 2023, The lighting contactor market is expected to grow USD 1,111.0 million by 2023, at a CAGR of 8.53% during forecast period. This growth can be attributed to the increasing adoption of energy-efficient lighting, growing demand for smart controls in lighting systems, and increasing adoption of IoT in the lighting industry.

Download PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=24570823

Commercial segment is expected to hold the largest share of the lighting contactor market, by end-user, during the forecast period.

Lighting contactors are used widely in commercial setups such as corporate offices, healthcare and retail complexes, hotels, restaurants, and educational institutes. Increasing need for energy efficiency is the major objective for governments, organizations, building owners, and other stakeholders. The governments in different countries are adopting LEDs to increase energy efficiency as it can directly reduce the maintenance and utilization cost. Lighting control systems reduce the energy consumption by optimizing ambient light levels to suit the users needs, thereby reducing the overall demand for lighting energy. Lighting control systems require lighting contactors for controlling lights, which require frequent on and off operation. Thus, the increase in the adoption of energy-efficient lighting is likely to boost the lighting contactor market.

Electrically held segment is expected to grow at the fastest rate in the lighting contactor market, by type, during the forecast period.

The electrically held segment is expected to grow at the fastest rate in the lighting contactor market during the forecast period. These contactors require an uninterrupted flow of power for continuous operation. If the power is lost, the contactors isolate the light from the circuit. A constant current flow is required to keep the contactor energized. These contactors are noiseless and consume less amount of control power than other contactors. They are mainly used in smart residential complexes and commercial and industrial segments. Thus, the adoption of electrically held contactors is more than mechanically held contactors.

Ask Sample Pages of the Report @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=24570823

Europe: the leading market for lighting contactors

In this report, the lighting contactor market has been analyzed on the basis of 5 regions, namely, Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, South America, and Middle East & Africa. The market in Europe is expected to lead the global lighting contactor market in 2018 and is projected to have the largest market share by 2023. The growing demand for lighting control systems in Europe makes it a potentially growing market for lighting contactor providers. The drive for green city projects has brought into the focus on energy efficiency in most of the EU countries. This has created a market opportunity for the manufacturers of LED and energy-efficient lighting control systems and solutions. Moreover, historical buildings, architectural sites, and hospitality businesses contribute to the increased demand for innovative lighting solutions. Thus, the demand for lighting control systems in commercial, residential, and industrial sectors is increasing which is likely to drive the lighting contactor market.

To enable an in-depth understanding of the competitive landscape, the report includes the profiles of some of the top players in the lighting contactor market. The key players in the market include ABB (Switzerland), Siemens (Germany), Schneider Electric (France), Rockwell Automation (US), and Eaton (Republic of Ireland). The leading players are trying to expand in developing economies and are adopting various strategies to increase their market shares.

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Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the Growth Engagement Model GEM. The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write Attack, avoid and defend strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.

MarketsandMarketss flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, Knowledgestore connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets.

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Lighting Contactor Market to Witness Steady Growth through 2023 | ABB, Siemens, Schneider Electric, Rockwell Automation, Eaton - Digital Journal

MANITOWOC, Wis., June 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Orion Energy Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: OESX) (Orion Lighting), a provider of energy-efficient LED lighting, controls and IoT systems, including turnkey project implementation, program management and system maintenance, today reported results for its fiscal 2021 fourth quarter (Q421) and year ended March 31, 2021 (FY 2021). Orion will hold an investor call today at 4:30 p.m. ET details below.

Financial Highlights

CEO CommentaryMike Altschaefl, Orions CEO and Board Chair, commented, The Orion team achieved solid FY 2021 financial results despite very challenging first half business conditions due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our full year performance benefitted from a significant rebound in our business in the second half as many customers returned to pre-COVID-19 levels of activity. We achieved profitability and positive cash flow from operations in Q421 and FY 2021 while also building our pipeline of project opportunities for FY 2022 and beyond. I extend our Board and management team's sincere appreciation and thanks to our team and our business partners for their dedication and perseverance through a very challenging period.

In FY 2021, we continued to expand the breadth and diversity of our customer base across several sectors, including retail, warehousing and logistics, automotive OEMs, healthcare and the public sector. We also further enhanced our product line with continued investment in product development, enabling the introduction of our new Starline high-bay LED fixtures, a new line of exterior lighting products, and next generation linear LED fixtures. These new products provide efficient, cost-effective design and enhanced energy efficiency to support our customers' environmental and business goals, and they have been well received in the market.

We also recently launched our new ISON PureMotionproduct line, expanding our business into airflow solutions to create healthier indoor spaces. The line includes ISON PureMotion Air; ISON PureMotion Light; and ISON PureMotion UVC, which uses UVC light rays in a sealed chamber to kill bacteria, fungi, mold and viruses to create a safer and healthier work environment.

Our FY 2022 is poised to benefit from a growing and more diverse group of large national account customers and projects. These customers recognize the value of Orions innovative, energy efficient products and our unique, customized, turnkey LED lighting design-build-install capabilities and strong customer service. We have a proven track record executing large national retrofit installation programs with efficient, high-quality and customized products and excellent, on-schedule service.

Reflecting the national scope of our service capabilities, during FY 2021 Orion launched a lighting, electrical and other maintenance services business that we believe can grow into an important longer-term recurring service revenue opportunity.

Given the compelling benefits our solutions provide, ranging from improved illumination, enhanced work environments, greater safety, and environmental and cost benefits, we are very optimistic regarding Orions outlook for FY 2022 and beyond.

Underscoring our optimism is the enormous untapped market for LED lighting and controls upgrades at facilities that have yet to be updated. Based on a U.S. Department of Energy study, the domestic LED retrofit opportunity in Orions key markets is estimated to be in excess of $20B today and growing to over $80B by 2035. To pursue this substantial market potential, Orions Board and management team have updated the Companys strategic plan to help guide our organic and inorganic growth initiatives, with a long-term target of building Orion to a company generating up to $500M in annual revenue in approximately five years. To achieve this long-term target, our plan envisions organic growth of at least 10% per year, augmented by external growth initiatives including the active pursuit of strategic acquisitions and business partnerships. We set these financial goals to provide our stakeholders with a vision of what we believe Orion can become."

Business OutlookOrion currently expects to achieve FY 2022 revenue of $150M to $155M, representing growth of at least 28% over FY 2021, excluding any recurrence of COVID-19 business impacts. This outlook is based on further progress in diversifying Orion's customer base and revenue sources and is supported by the following opportunities:

Orion cautions investors that its financial outlook is subject to a range of factors that are difficult to predict, including but not limited to the COVID-19 pandemic and possible business and other economic impacts.

Tax ProvisionAs a result of the valuation allowance release at the close of FY 2021, Orion expects its financial results to reflect a GAAP tax provision in future periods that is more in line with statutory tax rates. However, based upon current tax laws and the Companys federal net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $69M at 3/31/21, Orion does not expect to pay meaningful cash taxes for several years.

Financial ResultsOrions Q421 revenue rose 37.0% or $9.6M to $35.5M from $25.9M in Q420, due to strong national account retrofit activity as business rebounded from COVID-19 related disruptions earlier in FY 2021. Q421 benefitted from several large national retrofit projects, including for a large national retail customer and a specialty retailer. FY 2021 revenue was $116.8M compared to $150.8M in FY 2020, principally due to pandemic related work stoppages and project delays during the first half of the year.

Gross profit rose 59.7% or $3.4M to $9.2M in Q421 from $5.8M in Q420. FY 2021 full year gross profit was $30.1M compared to $37.1M in FY 2020, primarily due to lower revenue, partially offset by an increase in gross profit percentage. The gross profit percentage increased 120 bps to 25.8% in FY 2021 from 24.6% in FY 2020, mainly due to improved product margins and managing supply chain and input costs, more than offsetting increases in raw material and component prices.

Total operating expenses were $23.3M in FY 2021 vs. $24.0M in FY 2020 but increased as a percentage of sales to 19.9% from 15.9%, year-over-year, primarily due to the impact of lower business volume. Q421 operating expenses improved to 18.8% of sales from 23.7% in Q420, principally reflecting the benefit of fixed cost absorption from higher business volume in Q421.

Orion generated EBITDA of $2.9M in Q421 versus $0.0M in Q420. FY 2021 EBITDA was $8.4M versus $14.7M in FY 2020, reflecting the pandemics impact on FY 2021 revenue.

Q421 and FY 2021 results included a non-cash tax benefit of $20.9M, or $0.67 and $0.66 per diluted share, respectively, resulting from the release of the valuation allowance previously recorded against Orions deferred tax assets. As a result, Orions reported net income and earnings per share are not representative of its operating results and comparisons to prior and future periods will not be meaningful without adjusting for such tax benefit.

Q421 net income excluding the tax benefit improved to $1.2M, or $0.04 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of ($0.5M), or ($0.02) per basic share, in Q420, reflecting higher revenue and gross profit. FY 2021 net income excluding the tax benefit was $5.2M, or $0.17 per diluted share, compared to net income of $12.5M, or $0.40 per diluted share, in FY 2020, principally reflecting higher revenue in FY 2020.

Cash Flow & Balance SheetOrion generated $7.4M of cash from operating activities in Q421 as compared to $6.1M in Q420. The increase was due to higher net income and favorable working capital changes. Orion generated $1.7M of cash from operating activities in FY 2021, versus $20.3M in FY 2020, with the difference attributable to lower net income plus working capital investments.

As of March 31, 2021, Orions net working capital balance was $26.2M, compared to $27.8M at March 31, 2020. Working capital at March 31, 2020 included $10.0M drawn from the Companys revolving line of credit in response to pandemic uncertainties. In December 2020, Orion secured a new five-year$25.0M revolving credit facility. The facility provides a 25% increase in financing capacity and liquidity to support the Companys strategic growth plans. As of March 31, 2021, Orion had no balance outstanding on its revolving credit facility, $19.4M of cash and cash equivalents and $25M of availability on its credit facility.

About Orion Energy SystemsOrion provides innovative LED lighting systems and turnkey project implementation including installation and commissioning of fixtures, controls and IoT systems, as well as ongoing system maintenance and program management. We help our customers achieve energy savings with healthy, safe and sustainable solutions, enabling them to reduce their carbon footprint and digitize their business.

Non-GAAP MeasuresIn addition to the GAAP results included in this presentation, Orion has also included the non-GAAP measures, EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization), net income excluding the tax benefit and diluted earnings per share excluding the tax benefit. The Company has provided these non-GAAP measures to help investors better understand its core operating performance, enhance comparisons of core operating performance from period to period and allow better comparisons of operating performance to its competitors. Among other things, management uses these non-GAAP measures to evaluate performance of the business and believes this measurement enables it to make better period-to-period evaluations of the financial performance of core business operations. The non-GAAP measurements are intended only as a supplement to the comparable GAAP measurements and Orion compensates for the limitations inherent in the use of non-GAAP measurements by using GAAP measures in conjunction with the non-GAAP measurement. As a result, investors should consider these non-GAAP measurements in addition to, and not in substitution for or as superior to, measurements of financial performance prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

Consistent with Regulation G under the U.S. federal securities laws, the non-GAAP measures in this press release have been reconciled to the nearest GAAP measures, and this reconciliation is located under the heading Unaudited EBITDA Reconciliation and Unaudited Earnings Per Share Reconciliation following the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows included in this press release.

COVID-19 ImpactsThe COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted business, trade, commerce, financial and credit markets, in the U.S. and globally. Orions business has been materially adversely impacted by measures taken by government entities and others to control the spread of the virus. As part of the Companys recent response to the impacts of the COVID-19, management has taken a number of cost reduction and cash conservation measures. While restrictions have begun to lessen in certain jurisdictions, stay-at-home, face mask, and lockdown orders remain in effect in others, with employees asked to work remotely if possible. Many customers and projects require Orion employees to travel to customers and project locations. Some customers and projects are in areas where travel restrictions have been imposed, certain customers have either closed or reduced on-site activities, and timelines for the completion of multiple projects have been delayed, suspended, or extended. As of the date of this release, it is not possible to predict the overall impact the COVID-19 pandemic will have on the Company's business, liquidity, capital resources or financial results.

Safe Harbor Statement Certain matters discussed in this press release, including under the headings Financial Highlights, CEO Commentary, and "Business Outlook" are "forward-looking statements" intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements may generally be identified as such because the context of such statements will include words such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "will," "would" or words of similar import. Similarly, statements that describe our future plans, objectives or goals are also forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ materially from those expected, including, but not limited to, the following: (i) our ability to manage general economic, business and geopolitical conditions, including the impacts of natural disasters, pandemics and outbreaks of contagious diseases and other adverse public health developments, such as the COVID-19 pandemic; (ii) the deterioration of market conditions, including our dependence on customers' capital budgets for sales of products and services, and adverse impacts on costs and the demand for our products as a result of factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the implementation of tariffs; (iii) our ability to successfully launch, manage and maintain our refocused business strategy to successfully bring to market new and innovative product and service offerings; (iv) our recent and continued reliance on significant revenue to be generated in fiscal 2022 from the lighting and controls retrofit projects for two major global logistics companies; (v) our dependence on a limited number of key customers, and the potential consequences of the loss of one or more key customers or suppliers, including key contacts at such customers; (vi) our ability to identify and successfully complete transactions with suitable acquisition candidates in the future as part of our growth strategy; (vii) the availability of additional debt financing and/or equity capital to pursue our evolving strategy and sustain our growth initiatives; (viii) our risk of potential loss related to single or focused exposure within the current customer base and product offerings; (ix) our ability to sustain our profitability and positive cash flows; (x) our ability to differentiate our products in a highly competitive and converging market, expand our customer base and gain market share; (xi) our ability to manage and mitigate downward pressure on the average selling prices of our products as a result of competitive pressures in the light emitting diode ("LED") market; (xii) our ability to manage our inventory and avoid inventory obsolescence in a rapidly evolving LED market; (xiii) our increasing reliance on third parties for the manufacture and development of products, product components, as well as the provision of certain services; (xix) our increasing emphasis on selling more of our products through third party distributors and sales agents, including our ability to attract and retain effective third party distributors and sales agents to execute our sales model; (xx) our ability to develop and participate in new product and technology offerings or applications in a cost effective and timely manner; (xxi) our ability to maintain safe and secure information technology systems; (xxii) our failure to comply with the covenants in our credit agreement; (xxiii) our ability to recruit, hire and retain talented individuals in all disciplines of our company; (xxiv)our ability to balance customer demand and production capacity; (xxv) our ability to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting; (xxvi) price fluctuations (including as a result of tariffs), shortages or interruptions of component supplies and raw materials used to manufacture our products; (xxvii) our ability to defend our patent portfolio and license technology from third parties; (xxviii) a reduction in the price of electricity; (xxix) the reduction or elimination of investments in, or incentives to adopt, LED lighting or the elimination of, or changes in, policies, incentives or rebates in certain states or countries that encourage the use of LEDs over some traditional lighting technologies; (xxx) the cost to comply with, and the effects of, any current and future industry and government regulations, laws and policies; (xxxi) potential warranty claims in excess of our reserve estimates, and (xxxii) the other risks described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Shareholders, potential investors and other readers are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements made herein are made only as of the date of this press release and we undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. More detailed information about factors that may affect our performance may be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available at http://www.sec.gov or at http://investor.oriones.com/ in the Investor Relations section of our Website.

Twitter: @OrionLighting and @OrionLightingIRStockTwits: @Orion_LED_IR

See more here:
Orion Q4'21 Revenue Rose 37% to $35.5M on Strong LED Lighting Retrofit Activity - GlobeNewswire

Product prices across the overall lighting LED market are expected to increase by about 0.3%-2.3% QoQ in 2Q21, according toTrendForces latest investigations. This price hike can primarily be attributed to the fact that overall demand in the LED lighting market has been rebounding since 1Q21 and remaining in an uptrend since 2Q21. Furthermore, the industry-wide shortage of LED components in the upstream supply chain, caused by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, has yet to be addressed, thereby compelling lighting product manufacturers to ramp up their procurement activities this year in order to avoid a component shortage, which they suffered last year. TrendForce hence expects this bullish trend in the LED supply chain to result in a US$6.709 billion yearly revenue for the lighting LED market in 2021, a 3.43% growth YoY.

TrendForce further indicates that major suppliers of lighting LED packages, including Samsung LED, ams/OSRAM, CREE LED, Lumileds, Seoul Semiconductor, MLS, and Lightning Optoelectronic, have since 1Q21 seen soaring revenues, which are expected to persist through 2Q21, thanks to a swift rise in demand for HCL (human centric lighting), smart lighting, horticultural lighting, and niche lighting (such as lighting for nuclear power stations, pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities, and metal fabrication plants).

With regards to the specific LED packages that will experience a continued price hike, these products include mid- and low-power, indoor lighting LED products with under (not including) 1 watt in power consumption, such as 2835 LED, 3030 LED, and 5630 LED. Prices of these products are expected to increase by 0.3%-2.3% QoQ in 2Q21. On the other hand, a 1.3%-1.8% QoQ increase in prices for the same period can be expected for outdoor, industrial high-power lighting LED products with at least 1 watt in power consumption, such as LED with ceramic substrates and 7070 LED.

Companies are releasing products aimed at post-pandemic applications to secure their market shares in anticipation of high upcoming demand in the LED lighting market.

With regard to the movement of lighting LED product prices from the perspective of the LED supply chain, the pandemic caused a price hike across various materials, such as metals and LED chips required for lighting LED manufacturing last year. Faced with the upward pressure of prices in their upstream supply chains, certain suppliers of lighting LED products were subsequently forced to maintain their bottom lines by raising prices accordingly on lighting LED products, which had been sold at excessively low retail prices. On the whole, however, despite the price hike across various upstream components, suppliers of lighting LED products are still actively improving their products performances, including luminous efficacy and color saturation, and releasing products that fulfill the demand of post-pandemic applications in order to secure their market shares and competitiveness. Some examples include outdoor atmospheric lighting LED products from OSRAM and Lumileds, as well as horticultural LED products from CREE LED for indoor horticulture and plant factories.

Read more:
Price Hike of LED Lighting Products May Boost Revenue - Novus Light Today - Novus Light Technologies Today

Four years ago, the vertical farming startup Bowery opened what it called the first post-organic farm, growing pesticide-free leafy greens inside a warehouse in New Jersey. Now its products are in 850 stores, and the company just announced a new $300 million round of funding. Has indoor farming reached a tipping point?

The business model is feasible now, says venture capitalist Hans Tung, a managing partner at GGV Capital, one of the investors in the new round and an early investor in the startup. Lighting is one of the biggest expenses for indoor farming, but the cost of ultra-efficient LED lights has fallen steeply over the past decade. Automation has advanced enough that its cost-effective to do much of the work inside an indoor farm with robots. Software to manage complicated growing systems has also advanced. A combination of software, hardware, and the price of key inputs [can] make it affordable, he says. Otherwise, its too expensive.

[Photo: courtesy Bowery Farming]Growing food in a warehouse has some advantages over traditional agriculture. With crops in stacked trays or planted on vertical walls, many more plants can fit in the same footprint. LED lights tuned to shades of pink or purple help plants grow faster and can be tweaked to change the nutrition or taste. Because the plants are in a controlled environment, no pesticides are needed, and with no limitations from the seasons or weather, crops can grow year-round. Instead of growing greens in drought-prone states like California and Arizona and then shipping them to the East Coast, its possible to use a hydroponic system with 95% less water and deliver produce the same day its picked. (The system also has some disadvantages, including the energy needed for lights instead of sunshine, though its possible for indoor farms to use renewable electricity.)

[Photo: courtesy Bowery Farming]Other companies in the space are also growing. Gotham Greens, for example, which has a different farming model with greenhouses that use natural light, recently raised an additional $87 million to continue its expansion. Bowery isnt the only company in the space to get a huge infusion of cashSoftbank led a $200 million investment in Plenty, a Bay Area-based startup, in 2017. Both Plenty and Bowery use complex, expensive robotics and AI to run their farms; neither will share financial details about how challenging it is to profitably sell spinach with such a capital-intensive approach. But Tung says it can work. Based on their productivity and efficiency, we definitely see a path of being profitable, he says. (Right now, Bowery charges a price it says is comparable to organic greens grown in the field, though it aims to eventually compete with conventionally grown produce.)

[Photo: Chelsea Kyle/courtesy Bowery Farming]Vertically farmed greens are becoming widely available in some markets. If you pull up Instacart to order groceries from Safeway in the Bay Area and search for kale, Plenty shows up. In some East Coast cities, Bowery is in stores from Whole Foods to Walmart; the company says that it has seen 750% retail growth since January 2020. Bowery also sells in Tom Colicchios Craft restaurants (Colicchio is an investor) and plans to expand that part of its business. While vertical farming companies focus on selling greens now, theyre also preparing to sell other types of food. At Bowerys R&D farm, for example, researchers are testing strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, and multiple other crops.

[Photo: courtesy Bowery Farming]It will never be a full replacement for traditional farming, says Bowery CEO Irving Fain. Some crops, such as corn and wheat, dont make economic sense to grow indoors. But he thinks that this type of agriculture will be an increasingly important part of the system. Agriculture is the largest consumer of resources globally, he says. Seventy percent of the worlds water every year goes to agriculture. We put about a billion pounds of pesticides down just in the U.S. every year, 6 billion globally. And because of the way we farm and just the chemical intensive nature, weve lost 30% of all of our arable farmland. You juxtapose that against a growing population: Were going to have somewhere between 9 and 10 million people on the planet in the next 30 years. And you need more food to feed a growing population.

At the same time, he says, its getting harder to grow food outside as climate change makes it more likely that farms face droughts, heat waves, flooding, and other disasters. Corn and wheat and other crops that likely dont make sense to grow inside will have to find other solutionssuch as new varieties that can better resist drought, for examplebut for some foods, vertical farming could help fill a gap. How do you build a resilient and durable supply chain in the face of an increasingly dire climate crisis and a growing population? Fain says. Change is needed. There has to be a better system. That recognition is happening from consumers, that recognition is happening from retailers and other partners. And thats filtered down now, in a great way, to investors who are interested in agriculture technology in general.

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Is indoor farming about to have a moment? - Fast Company

Indoor LED Lighting Market is a professional and a detailed report focusing on primary and secondary drivers, market share, leading segments and geographical analysis. This analysis provides an examination of various market segments that are relied upon to observe the fastest development amid the estimated forecast frame. The report encompasses market definition, currency and pricing, market segmentation, market overview, premium insights, key insights and company profile of the key market players. The persuasive Indoor LED Lighting market report also helps to know about the types of consumers, their response and views about particular products, and their thoughts for the step up of a product.

A light-emitting diode is a semiconductor diode which emits light on conducting current. It is used in indoor and outdoor lighting, electronic displays among others. In other words, light-emitting diodes are small devices that convert electrical energy into near-UV and visible wavelengths when packaged and connected to an electrical circuit.

They are made from semiconductor materials that are crystals made of two or three elements combined, for instance, gallium indium nitride (GaInN) or gallium phosphide (GaP). These unique combinations of elements have distinctive crystalline structures that can accommodate both holes (positively charged electron vacancies) and electrons (negatively charged), that are separated by a band-gap since they exist at different energy levels.

Global indoor LED lighting market is expected to register a healthy CAGR of 10.5% in the forecast period of 2019 to 2026.

Download Sample Copy of the Report to understand the structure of the complete report (Including Full TOC, Table & Figures) @https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/request-a-sample/?dbmr=global-indoor-led-lighting-market&Somesh

Indoor LED Lighting Market Scope and Segmentation:

Global indoor LED lighting market is segmented into four notable segments which are offering, installation type, wattage type and application.

Indoor LED Lighting Market Country Level Analysis

For detailed insights on Global Indoor LED Lighting Market Size, competitive landscape is provided i.e. Revenue Share Analysis (Million USD) by Players, Revenue Market Share (%) by Players and further a qualitative analysis is made towards market concentration rate, product differentiation, new entrants are also considered in heat map concentration.

Leading Key Players Operating in the Indoor LED Lighting Market Includes:

Some of the prominent participants operating in this market are Signify Holding, General Electric, OSRAM GmBH, Cree, INC., Eaton , Hubbell, Dialight, Zumbotel., Syska, NEPTUN LIGHT, INC, delviro energy, iGuzzini, SmartRay Inc, Bamford Lighting, Contrac Lighting, interLED, Dextra Group Plc, Astute Lighting Ltd, Sondia Lighting, Ecoled Ltd, among others.

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New Business Strategies, Challenges & Policies are mentioned in Table of Content, Request TOC at @https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/toc/?dbmr=global-indoor-led-lighting-market&Somesh

The Indoor LED Lighting Market research covers a comprehensive analysis of the following facts:

Table of Content:

PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT

PART 03: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

PART 04: INTRODUCTION

PART 05: MARKET LANDSCAPE

PART 06: MARKET SIZING

PART 07: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS

PART 08: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY PRODUCT

PART 09: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL

PART 10: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE

PART 11: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY END-USER

PART 12: REGIONAL LANDSCAPE

PART 13: DECISION FRAMEWORK

PART 14: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES

PART 15: MARKET TRENDS

PART 16: COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

PART 17: COMPANY PROFILES

PART 18: APPENDIX

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Indoor LED Lighting Market Outlook 2027: Top Companies, Trends by Regions, Types and Applications The Manomet Current - The Manomet Current

Another formerly public Canadian company is seeking a return to the capital markets in a deal tied to efforts by Power Corp. of Canada to divest its non-financial services businesses.

LED lighting maker LMPG Inc., previously known as Lumenpulse Inc., has filed to go public on the Toronto Stock Exchange with a goal of raising $300-million. The offering, if successful, would see $125-million go to the Longueuil, Que., company and $175-million to investors Power Energy Corp. a unit of Power Corp. and Nicolas Blanger.

LMPG is targeting an offering price of between $15 and $17.50 a share, and expects to price the deal next week.

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The offering follows information technology services company Softchoice Corp.s return to the TSX last month, eight years after Birch Hill Equity Partners took it private. Its also the latest in a slew of Canadian companies to pursue public listings in one of the busiest periods for IPOs in years.

In addition, LMPG and Power Energy have entered into a private placement deal with the Quebec governments Investissement Qubec (IQ), B.C. Investment Management Corp. and the labour-sponsored investment fund, Fonds de solidarit FTQ.

Under the deal, the B.C. and two Quebec institutions will buy $225-million of stock from Power Energy, while the FTQ will buy $25-million of stock from LMPG. The deal comes with a pledge by LMPG to IQ not to move its head office outside Quebec until seven years from the transaction or if the provinces stake in LMPG falls to below 44 per cent of the stock it is buying.

The complex transaction would see Power Energy, LMPGs largest shareholder, divest more than 80 per cent of its stake, which it picked up in 2017 when it helped chief executive and founder Franois-Xavier Souvay lead a buyout of the enterprise, for $600-million.

Power Corp., under the leadership of CEO Jeffrey Orr, is in the midst of efforts to divest non-financial services assets including LMPG; electric-vehicle maker Lion Electric Co.; the parent company of Bauer and Easton sporting goods, Peak Achievement Athletics Inc.; and GP Strategies Corp., a workplace technical training company.

Following the IPO and private placement, Mr. Souvay will have 62.8-per-cent voting control of LMPG through his sole ownership of multiple voting shares. RBC Dominion Securities, Scotia Capital, National Bank Financial, Canaccord Genuity, BMO Nesbitt Burns, Desjardins Securities and TD Securities are underwriting the transactions.

LMPG sells indoor and outdoor high-performance and energy-efficient LED lighting equipment used on some of Montreals biggest landmarks including Olympic Stadium, Notre-Dame Basilica, the Jacques-Cartier and Samuel de Champlain bridges, as well as Vancouvers BC Place, the Pantheon in Rome and city halls in Boston and Cincinnati, Ohio. Most of its business is in the United States.

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The company has been hit by the pandemic, as revenues, which increased to $314-million in 2019 from $237-million the year before, fell 14.6 per cent last year as construction activity was stalled.

But thanks to cost-cutting measures dating to 2019, free cash flow more than tripled to $38.2-million last year compared with 2018 levels, while adjusted operating earnings rose to $52.5-million from $35.2-million.

The company booked a net loss of $11-million in 2019 and $6-million last year.

Revenue in the quarter ended March 31 was $55.8-million, down 11.4 per cent from the same period a year earlier, while LMPGs net loss improved to $2.4-million from $8.4-million. LMPG has invested heavily in research and development, and has 235 patents and more than 800 products.

LMPG is positioning itself as a beneficiary of expected increases in infrastructure spending, the expanding adoption of smart city and smart building technologies that reduce energy consumption, and an anticipated rise in energy efficiency regulations it believes will mandate LED usage. The company is on the hunt for acquisitions that can expand its product offerings, and paid $65-million in 2018 for Sternberg Lanterns, Inc., a Chicago-area supplier to U.S. municipalities.

Smart-LED lighting is one of the most actionable technologies that can be used in smart cities and smart buildings to accelerate our transition to a lower carbon future, while improving the quality of life and work for all constituents Mr. Souvay states in the prospectus. In a post-pandemic world, this is even more important as we look to bring life and work back to our cities.

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LMPGs previous foray as a public company was underwhelming. Lumenpulse, founded by Mr. Souvay in 2006, raised $115-million at $16 a share in April, 2014. But it often missed earnings estimates due to lumpy profits. The stock was trading below $11.50 in April, 2017, when the buyers offered investors $21.25 per share, an 86-per-cent premium, to privatize Lumenpulse.

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Quebec LED company hopes to light up investor interest in second attempt as public company - The Globe and Mail

Image:Unsplash

At home isnt just a place, its a feeling. Over the past year,our homes have taken centre stage in our lives. From a conference room to a kids playground, our homes have has catered to all our needs. As the monsoon arrives, we want to have some fun experiences within our homes until its safe to step out! If there is one place in our home which plays an important role in building new experiences, it is the dining space.

It is the natural gathering place for a family it's where you talk, eat, and do your gupshup!After a long day of work, we like to regroup at the dining table and share how our day went by, even if we work from a different room in the same house. So, creating a cosy and a comfortable dining experience adds the much-needed stress buster. To ensure you and your loved ones have a cosy and intimate dining experience,try these effortless, practical and cool tips from Erik Jan Middlehoven, Home Furnishing & Retail Design Manager, IKEA India.

Dining furniture is the real hard worker in your home and when its about living in a small space, we must invest in furniture that is stackable, foldable, and movable. With a few flexible pieces, such as an extendable table, or stackable stools, you will always find theres room for more. Choose foldable chairs, so you can stack them behind a cabinet and only use them while dining. Other times, this space can be used for recreational activities. Another hack would be to use a footstool which you can pile up and place in the corner and take it out during special get-togethers at home.

You can consider using a round or oval tables for a small space living environment as it accommodates more people than a square table. The round table can be used to dine and if you need more space you can invest in moving trolleys. The moveable trolley can be used to store the cutlery, glasses, or just simple garnishing for food, making more space for everybody.

Lighting can impact mood like no other. It should be balanced between mood lighting and functional lighting. Its advisable to keep the size of the table in mind before selecting the lights. Since a rectangular table can easily accommodate either two or three people on each side, you can place three lamps on the top, which shouldnt be far apart from each other, or one straight lamp with multiple bulbs integrated into it for the light to fall on the entire surface.

If you want to get it right, we advise you against cross lighting, as that will cast a shadow on the table, which will create a very dull ambience. For a round table, you will need one light point, right in the middle, it can be a chandelier, a dome or it can be multiple beams from one source of light. One can never really go wrong with the lighting around round tables cause once the light is placed in the centre.

Lets talk about creating a cosy yet cooler experience for the larger part of the dining room. If you have a side wall or a space in your dining area, you can either set up a bar with a glass cabinet with integrated lighting, the tone of which can be warmer or brighter as per your mood. A bar table just aside from your dining table adds a lot of meaning to your dining space. It can create a welcoming and interactive atmosphere. So, whether its the weekend or a lockdown birthday/anniversary, the dining space becomes even more personal with a bar table just on your side. The right amount of dim light complimenting your collection of spirits and varied kinds of cocktail glasses just adds to it.

In case you do not have space for a bar table or a bar cabinet, the moving trolley can be used to store alcohol, and that can be your mobile bar for your day-to-day celebrations. Another option is a side table with a small lamp to add an extra light spot in your dining corner.

Another quirky way to brighten up your dining space, especially during summer, is by painting one wall of the area with an ice-cream colour, while the rest of the space is neutral in colour to maintain a balance. And if painting a wall sounds too ambitious for you, you could use this time at home to be creative with your family members and create a canvas painting full of bright colours and frame it and add it to the one corner. This will not only make it a more personal and intimate experience for your family members but will also stand out as a statement piece that you can change every season.

By now you might be building your checklist for dining area, but dont forget there needs to be ample space for each of the members sitting at the dining table. You need spacious and breathable chairs, especially during summer. Try opting for smart LED bulbs which wont just save cost and energy but also create less heat in the dining area.

After everything is done, do not forget to accessorise your dining table rectangular or oval with large trays, antique vases with flowers, fruit bowls, candle holders, and your dining space with a large indoor plant in the corner to add a little bit of nature. With these hacks, you can turn everyday dining or any celebration in your dining room into an activity you look forward to.

Also Read:Create The Perfect Zen Zone For Your Home This Lockdown

Link:
Spruce Up Your Dining Space With The Right Lighting And Trendy Furniture - Femina