"The jewelry of a building" is how most describe a project's lighting, but it's much more than aesthetics — its impact affects safety, productivity, comfort, health, and environmental sustainability.
The question though is how do you merge aesthetics with application in conjunction with the various complexities plaguing the market? By understanding how to seamlessly integrate the customer’s vision with innovative solutions to current market challenges.
Our Senior Vice President Chris Hughes touches on different ways you can bring a project’s lighting vision to life while also navigating the complexities of the industry and how Power Design is breaking the model of a typical lighting provider.
Optimizing Design and Collaboration
Construction and lighting design are crucial aspects of building and infrastructure development, and several issues can arise during the process if not paying attention to the requirements and needs, like regulatory compliance and technology compatibility. Many times, there are different people – architect, designer, owner, engineer – at the table that are focused only on meeting the requirements necessary for their part of the project. But how do you bring all of it together to meet all project requirements without unnecessary change orders or poor end-user functionality? A project advocate that understands the market challenges, as well as the project’s vision and requirements.
With its unique offering of lighting design and fixtures all under one roof (plus being a leading multi-trade contractor!), Power Design steps in as the project advocate for partners and acts as a mediator, ensuring that the project is optimized for materials, cost, and construction. Our accredited and award-winning lighting designers and lighting consultants blend functional analysis with aesthetic design to meet our partners’ vision and add value to their investment. The more than 65-person lighting team has extensive experience and expertise that can help achieve a collective goal with all parties involved while maintaining budget control and accuracy.
Leveraging Global Procurement and Supplier Relationships
The procurement of lighting materials makes or breaks any project, along with the relationships that you have with the companies providing those materials. The reliability and reputation of materials and suppliers comes into question during the procurement process because some lighting distributors are driven by sales commissions or supplier interests because of their representative agencies, so selections become biased. Due diligence in selecting reputable suppliers is necessary.
Power Design has developed relationships with major suppliers, often holding elite partner status, that are focused on adding value to the project than adding value to their commission. Because of the direct relationships Power Design has with manufacturers, there is no middle person to deal with and selections of materials are based solely on the product. Our global procurement capabilities and $65 million in fixture distribution in 2022 give us an edge in the industry.
Prioritizing Budget Control and Quality Assurance
Designing and implementing effective lighting solutions can be expensive, and if budgets are not well-managed, it can lead to compromises in the quality and efficiency of the lighting system. Those compromises can affect the safety, durability, and performance of the project which can also add to the project’s costs with expensive post-completion fixes. Not to mention the issues that having the wrong fixtures show up to the job site can cause to the project’s timeline and budget. Reliable quality control measures must be in place to verify the materials' quality, as well as the correct material, to keep within the project’s timeline and budget.
When it comes to budget control and optimization, Power Design excels. Our value engineering approach saves an average of 20% in costs while honoring aesthetic and specification needs. With real-time budget accuracy through proprietary software configured with Revit, the team avoids costly surprises later in production. Once lighting materials are confirmed and ordered, Power Design’s team at the LINK steps in to ensure the materials are exactly what was ordered and up to Power Design’s standards before even shipping it out to the job site for installation.
Mitigating Supply Chain Risk and Efficient Distribution
It’s no secret that the industry is plagued by supply chain and transportation issues that are wreaking havoc on projects and their timelines. From materials damaged during shipping due to poor packing to long lead times due to sourcing issues, there are numerous ways in which the project can be thrown off. But how do you avoid those costly problems? By accurately estimating lead times and purchasing materials in advance so the lighting fixtures are ready when the project is ready.
Power Design has been proactive in mitigating supply chain issues for projects nationwide because of its distribution team at the LINK. With a dedicated team and an impressive 208,000 sq. ft. distribution facility, we offer global procurement and expansive storage of fixtures and products. With a 99% inventory accuracy and 99% on-time job site delivery guarantee, our customers receive what is needed when it is needed. By advanced storing products and carefully validating them upon arrival, Power Design ensures that the quality of the materials is never compromised. Our team goes a step further by shipping products to the job site, as needed, and kitting fixtures and products by floor and unit, resulting in a cleaner, safer job site and quicker installation.
With larger projects becoming a regular occurrence, the lighting industry is seeing those project packages become more encompassing and complex. Making sure the right lighting and fixtures team is executing the vision is vital to the project as a whole. With an unbiased approach in a biased market, Power Design offers a range of services that focus on collaboration, objective decision-making, and quality assurance. We are a true partner dedicated to delivering excellence in design, budget control, and supply chain management.
Power Design
Our mission is to be the most trusted partner. With passion and accountability, we will deliver unmatched performance and a PlusONE experience. At Power Design we build more than just buildings - we build relationships that last.
Power Design
Our mission is to be the most trusted partner. With passion and accountability, we will deliver unmatched performance and a PlusONE experience. At Power Design we build more than just buildings - we build relationships that last.
