A certificate in record time

Gaining ground

LEDs use the light emission properties of specific semiconductor materials. Initially they were expensive to produce so they found their market mainly in commercial use. Now improved technology and economies of scale have seen prices fall, making them increasingly attractive to the public and private sector, including domestic consumers. 

LEDs have often been described as the light source of the future, as they can be used in almost any kind of applications. 

Safer and more attractive

The need to be more energy-efficient and cut public expenditures has led a great number of cities around the world to turn to LEDs not only for street lighting, but also as a solution for upgrading roads, official buildings, schools and monuments. In doing so, they combine the practical and aesthetic benefits offered by LED fixtures. 

In the industrial and commercial environments, LED lighting solutions are now found widely in shops or sports arenas. They also make a big difference in parking structures where they provide daylight-like illumination 24 hours a day. 

LED lighting solutions make cities, buildings and any type of infrastructure more attractive and, above all, safer for everyone. 

With the emergence of LED technology, lights have become an integral part of the car design, allowing automakers to create their own very distinctive signature look, identifiable at all times. 

And with prices going down, LEDs have made their way into the homes of millions of people. 

Many advantages

LEDs have many advantages over more traditional light sources, such as incandescent or compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), including:

• low energy consumption
• long lifetime
• robustness, i.e. reduced cost of maintenance and replacement
• easy control
• fast switching 

IECQ Scheme for LED Lighting

The IECQ Scheme for LED Lighting, under the umbrella of the generic IECQ Approved Component (AC) Scheme, offers a valuable qualification and supply chain management tool that provides for the identification and verification of compliance with component and process specifications. 

In line with the approved scope of IECQ, the IEC Quality Assessment System for Electronic Components, the IECQ Scheme for LED Lighting can be applied to certify manufacturers and suppliers of electronic components, modules and assemblies used in the production of LED packages, engines, lamps, luminaires and associated LED ballasts/drivers. 

First certificate issued

In September 2016, IECQ issued the first certificate under its IECQ Scheme for LED Lighting to APT Electronics Co. Ltd. The company was founded in 2006 in Nansha, a district of the city of Guangzhou, in the Guangdong province of China, where it has built manufacturing as well as research and development plants. APT, which has developed and mass produced high-power (HP) LED chips and devices, has received many awards over the years, including the Hong Kong Technological Achievement award in 2011 and the Semi China Industry Award in 2012. In the high-technology area, APT has become a successful model of cooperation among enterprises, universities and research institutes. 

The fact that a very short time – two years – elapsed between the launch of the LED Initiative in autumn 2014, which led to the establishment of the IECQ Scheme for LED Lighting a year later, and the issuing of the first certificate is truly amazing. It was made possible because IECQ already had all the mechanisms in place under the umbrella of the IECQ AC Scheme. 

Since the demand for a Scheme that specifically addresses LED technologies came from industry, there is no doubt that the certificate delivered to APT is the first in a long series. 

More information on IECQ and its Schemes: www.iecq.org