The trade war with China rages on, with no sign of letup. Much of what is now manufactured in China now faces a 25% tariff, and more product lines will be hit on September 1st. This week showed a tactical escalation, the U.S. will raise duties on $250 billion in Chinese goods to 30% and increase tariffs on another $300 billion in products to 15% from 10%.
The Changing Patterns of the World’s Supply Chains
The two countries have not been able to reach consensus on a trade deal, and because of the resulting U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods, nations the world over have begun to shift their manufacturing supply chains out of China. This realignment is described in a New York Times article entitled One Trump Victory: Companies Rethink China. The process is called decoupling, and it “is is a major goal of those who believe the world has grown far too dependent on China as a manufacturing giant.”
Manufacturing supply chains worldwide are changing – permanently. None of this will have any ill effect on GRE Alpha customers, because our company has had the foresight to establish manufacturing in multiple facilities including Vietnam.
Vietnam: A Strategic Solution to the U.S./China Trade War
The exodus has already begun, and is described in the starkly titled New York Times article Your Next iPhone Might Be Made in Vietnam. Thank the Trade War. While others may be struggling to find ready-to-use factories and warehouses GRE Alpha already has that covered.
When the Consumer Technology Association (CES) spoke to Richard Fong, GRE Alpha’s Manufacturing executive director, it was noted that, “Vietnam is a very natural and advantageous location for us to increase our manufacturing capabilities.” Because of our affiliation with GRE Manufacturing, our LED drivers bound for the U.S. are shipped directly from Vietnam, avoiding the excessive tariffs. Within those factory walls GRE Alpha is producing some of the world's most advanced and reliable LED lighting components, including the SLD-DIM-XG4, our four channel Bluetooth dimming module.
GRE Alpha is no newcomer to Vietnam. We established our first Vietnam factory in 2013. Our factory located in the Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) about 40 minutes away from Ho Chi Minh City. It offers more than 300,000 square feet of ISO 9002, ISO 13485 and ISO 14000-certified manufacturing space.
And we’re not alone! Our factory is situated alongside 700+ manufacturing companies from around the world, with established transportation, logistics and supply-chain infrastructure.
Source: GRE Manufacturing
Manufacturing electronics in Vietnam has advantages aside from the avoidance of the China tariffs. The median age in Vietnam is only about 30, giving manufacturers the advantage of a youthful, vibrant and flexible workforce. The well-educated population has the same solid East-Asian work ethic, and wages are competitive.
The response of our U.S. customers to our Vietnam facility has been overwhelmingly positive. Buying LED drivers made in Vietnam is a sure-fire way to beat the U.S., - Chinese trade war.
Customers will continue to benefit from the full line of our LED driver and power supply lines without paying the 25% China tariff. We strongly advise our customers to place their orders as early as possible so that they can get their products by the end of the year avoid disappointment.
About GRE Alpha
GRE Alpha Electronics, Ltd. specializes in the design and manufacturing of solid-state lighting power supplies and lighting control accessories, the lifeblood of indoor and outdoor LED lighting systems. With over two decades of power conversion expertise and a commitment towards innovation, GRE Alpha engages with industry pioneers to deliver highly efficient, installation-ready, and agency-approved LED power conversion products for a wide variety of industry applications.
For more information about the products featured here or any other GRE Alpha products or services, please visit the contact page. Our support team is always happy to help.
HONG KONG–July 23, 2019
A crowd of over 120 engaged lighting professionals came together on June 28th to witness the latest lighting technology in an action-packed LED lighting seminar. GRE Alpha Electronics joined with host Illuspace,Citizen Electronics and Setsuyo Astec Corporation in Bangkok, Thailand for a day of knowledge sharing and firsthand demonstrations.
True to the pledge made by GRE Alpha’s CEO, Richard Fong, in early 2019, the seminar created a platform geared to help customers succeed. Participants included members of top lighting design firms and universities across Thailand. Not only did they get to experience cutting edge LED lighting technology, but they were also brought up to speed on the evolving collaborative framework between lighting designers, manufacturers and architects.
GRE Alpha experts performed over nine demonstrations of its latest lighting control devices, including DALI, DMX, Color Tuning, Zigbee, BLE and EnOceantechnology. It was an engaging hands-on learning event that allowed visitors to experience the craftsmanship and quality of GRE products and proved instrumental to the seminar’s success.
GRE Alpha’s five-star product display included:
Zigbee wireless constant voltage LED dimming module, based on international standards IEEE 802.15.4 and Zigbee 3.0. Units can be directly controlled by batteryless Zigbee Green Power switches.
EnOcean wireless LED dimming module, which allows for smooth, flicker-free dimming of lighting fixtures using any of EnOcean’s certified energy harvesting wireless switches.
BLE Wireless dimming module, a240-watt constant voltage device utilizing the latest in Bluetooth mesh that enables hassle-free lighting control with no compromise in performance. Part of the Xicato GalaXi ecosystem.
Events like these are not only treasure troves of information for lighting professionals, they build upon the forward-moving synergy between the lighting industry’s top companies. The partnership between GRE Alpha and Citizen Electronics is a perfect example, resulting in lighting control modules that give users more control and flexibility in adopting various dimming systems.
New to the GRE/Citizen product lineupis a tunable white dimming module that seamlessly integrates with Citizen’s white COB allowingfor separate tuning of brightness and color temperature. The two companies are excited about their collaborative efforts and customers can look forward to continuing new developments in greener, more effective lighting.
Keeping up with advances in technology is just one challenge facing lighting designers today, and experiences like this one are vital in helping them do so. GRE Electronics would like to thank Illuspace, Citizen Electronics and Setsuyo Astec Corporation for their instrumental role in making this event successful beyond all expectations.
About GRE Alpha
GRE Alpha Electronics, Ltd. specializes in the design and manufacturing of solid-state lighting power supplies and lighting control accessories, the lifeblood of indoor and outdoor LED lighting systems. With over two decades of power conversion expertise and a commitment towards innovation, GRE Alpha engages with industry pioneers to deliver highly efficient, installation-ready, and agency-approved LED power conversion products for a wide variety of industry applications.
For more information about the products featured here or any other GRE Alpha products or services, please visit the enquiries page. Our support team is always happy to help.
Lighting Control for Intelligent Buildings
When GRE Alpha's advanced LED dimming module and driver technology paired up with EnOcean's patented energy harvesting wireless technology, the result changed the face of smart building lighting design. Powered by exploiting the energy generated at the push of a button, the ENO-DIM dimming module allows for smooth, flicker-free dimming of lighting fixtures.This article lays out the ways ENO-DIM is pushing wireless LED lighting control to the future loT level while providing significant savings in time, money and energy.
Highly Flexible and Easy to Install
When ENO-DIM made its debut in 2018, jaws were dropping at how easy it was to install. ENO-DIM was the first dimming module of its kind and, to this moment, remains unmatched in intelligent building lighting applications. Brilliantly constructed to work with all EnOcean certified self-powered wireless switches, any constant voltage LED lighting system can be extended and seamlessly retrofitted to EnOcean wireless technology. The ENO-DIM module operates at a maximum 5 amperes (amp) capacity and can support up to 30 EnOcean wireless energy harvesting devices.
Perfect for new building automation projects, ENO-DIM works just as easily as a straightforward upgrade to existing LED lighting systems. The ENO-DIM module hooks up to any constant voltage LED driver, including an existing DC power distribution panel or at any point in an existing lighting circuit. The wireless energy switches are very robust and installation retrofit does not require extra wiring. Plus, there are no batteries to replace or hazardous waste disposal. With installation virtually effortless, reduced labor and component costs, the savings generated by ENO-DIM over time will be significant.
Proprietary Frequencies for Various Parts of the World
While most smart lighting systems utilize the ISM (Industrial, Scientific, Medical) radio band, GRE's ENO-DIM module uses EnOcean's proprietary frequencies for communication. Those bands enable noise-free, near-instantaneous feedback without interference, and a wide range of up to 30 meters within buildings. This is a dramatic contrast to less reliable RF wireless technologies such as BLE and Zigbee.
The ENO-DIM module currently supports multiple frequencies that will insure its reliability in different geographic areas. GRE Alpha is the only member of the EnOcean alliance to focus on lighting for the Japanese market. Additional frequencies for new products and territories are in the works.
Infinite Possibilities in Smart Building Design
Wireless, self-powered control devices are the most flexible solution to achieve the full data potential of intelligent LED lighting control in new builds and retrofits. Customers are extremely impressed with how this reflects in the sheer versatility of the ENO-DIM module. With the powerful combination of GRE Alpha's modular LED power supplies and EnOcean' s self-powered sensors and switches, lighting designers can now create sustainable intelligent building, home automation and architectural lighting control systems that are energy-efficient, easy to install and maintenance-free.
Current applications include:
No Other Dimmer Compares
EnOcean energy harvesting technology and switches have dramatically simplified lighting system installations and commissioning and dramatically reduced wiring requirements.That is a huge win for lighting industry experts. With so many valuable benefits, GRE Alpha Electronics is hoping to drive the rapid adoption of existing and new lighting projects to EnOcean controlled lighting. To that end, the ENO-DIM dimming module represents the first in a series of EnOcean products that will allow seamless upgrades of existing lighting systems.
Summing up the advantages of the ENO-DIM module:
Where we go from here
Not long ago, concepts like energy harvesting would have been perceived as wildly imaginative. Now we've gone from a simple illumination element to the ENO-DIM dimming module as a core communication device. Lighting leads the way as one of the pioneer industries in the Internet of Thing (IoT). As we become more connected as a society, increasingly connected lighting systems will continue to get more attention and have more applications. With companies like GRE Alpha Electronics and EnOcean at the forefront of smart building management, it's clear that future possibilities are limitless.
About GRE Alpha
GRE Alpha® Electronics, Ltd. specializes in the design and manufacture of solid-state lighting power supplies and lighting control accessories which are the lifeblood of indoor and outdoor LED lighting systems. With over two decades of power conversion expertise and a commitment towards innovation, we engage with industry pioneers to deliver highly efficient, installation-ready, and agency-approved LED power conversion products for a wide variety of industry applications. Our success is centered on three core values—innovation, service and partnership.
If you'd like to know more about the ENO-DIM dimming module or other types of leading edge LED power solutions, please visit GRE Alpha's enquiry page and one of our product experts will quickly get back to you.
HONG KONG – GRE Alpha, a leading LED power supply manufacturer, will be among the top tier presenters at the Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition from June 9-12 at the China Import and Export Fair Complex in Guangzhou, China. Asia’s most comprehensive lighting and LED event, GILE 2019 is set to break attendance records. Last year, the show recorded more than 2,600 exhibitors from 22 countries and regions and more than 165,000 visitors from 129 countries and regions. The show focuses on lighting applications, LED technologies, equipment and components.
With this year's theme, "Envisage the Next Move" in mind, Richard Fong and the GRE Alpha team will take a deep dive into the use of communication protocols in smart lighting systems.
(Image: Messe Frankfurt)
On June 10 lighting Industry professionals will find the GRE Alpha team discussing smart lighting solutions with Amazon Echo and Zigbee dimming modules at 4:00 p.m. Sessions will take place opposite to Hall 4.1, along Pearl Promenade, Area A.
GRE Alpha's Zigbee dimming module is a 240-watt constant voltage dimming device that operates based on IEEE 802.15.4 and the Zigbee 3.0 standard. Offering best-in-class interoperability between major lighting eco-systems (AMAZON Echo) and provides device to device vs cloud-to-cloud connectivity without the reliance on external gateway or connection to the internet.
Simple and easy to install, this compact device also supports connecting directly to a Zigbee Green Power switch for battery-less dimming enabling seamless upgrade to Zigbee smart lighting networks.
GRE Alpha® Electronics, Ltd. specializes in the design and manufacture of solid-state lighting power supplies and lighting control accessories which are the lifeblood of indoor and outdoor LED lighting systems. Unlike many in the LED industry, GRE Alpha focuses on a modular approach. Their products can be used either in conjunction with existing systems or with new setups. With more than two decades of power conversion expertise and a commitment toward innovation, GRE Alpha engages with industry pioneers to deliver highly efficient, installation-ready and agency-approved LED power conversion products for a wide variety of industry applications. www.grealpha.com
As the news from Washington and Beijing continues to focus on increased tariffs on Chinese goods imported into the U.S., Chinese LED lighting component manufacturer GRE Alpha is taking a proactive approach to help its U.S. customers control costs and minimize tariff impacts.
In addition to its well-established U.S. operations center in Gainesville, Georgia, GRE Alpha is ramping up manufacturing in Vietnam to deliver its world-class LED power supplies to the U.S. market without incurring the tariffs currently imposed on Chinese goods.
GRE Alpha's new Vietnam facility, located in Binh Duong Province, offers more than 300,000 square feet of ISO 9002, ISO 13485 and ISO 14000-certified manufacturing space, staffed by a highly educated workforce. Here, GRE Alpha is producing some of the world's most advanced and reliable LED lighting components, including LED drivers, dimming modules and accessories.
"Our Vietnam facility is fully staffed and capable of meeting U.S. demand for GRE Alpha's most popular products, including our DMX, EnOcean and DALI LED dimming modules. The investment in Vietnam is a clear signal to our U.S. customers that we value their business and want to give them options that will help them control costs while still having access to the high quality they've come to expect from GRE Alpha,” says GRE Alpha's Richard Fong.
The response from U.S. customers has been extremely positive so far. In fact, GRE Alpha is advising customers to think ahead and place orders now for September/October 2019 delivery as demand has been steadily growing for its LED drivers and other LED lighting components.
To learn more about GRE Manufacturing and the benefits of its Vietnamese manufacturing capabilities visit GRE Manufacturing. To talk to a U.S. representative please contact dougg@grena.org.