Interview with Naren Pillai | Enhancing Safety in Challenging Industrial Environments
We are pleased to share an in-depth interview with Red Sky Lighting that was recently featured on Easy Engineering Magazine. In the article titled “Enhancing Safety in Challenging Environments: Red Sky Lighting’s Hazardous and Harsh Location Lighting Solutions”, Managing Director Naren Pillai discusses the company’s full range of certified lighting solutions designed to withstand extreme heat, chemicals and hazardous conditions. We appreciate Easy Engineering highlighting Red Sky Lighting’s mission to deliver reliable, sustainable LED lighting that enhances worker safety in challenging industrial environments.
Some key points covered in the interview include Red Sky’s core product lines, sustainability initiatives, growth targets and insights into serving niche markets with specialized needs. We thank the magazine for sharing our story and contributions towards safer workplaces through our premium hazardous location lighting fixtures.
Enhancing Safety in Challenging Environments: Red Sky Lighting’s Hazardous and Harsh Location Lighting Solutions
Red Sky Lighting is a California-based lighting manufacturer that provides reliable lighting products and solutions for industrial applications. Their premium harsh and hazardous LED lighting fixtures are assembled in the US and ideal for the challenging environments encountered in industries such as marine transport, oil and gas, metal manufacturing, wastewater treatment, agriculture, chemical plants, power plants, paint booths, and more. The company backs these products with speedy delivery and exceptional customer support.
Interview with Naren Pillai, Managing Director at Red Sky Lighting LLC.
Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
Naren Pillai: Red Sky Lighting provides LED lighting solutions for harsh and hazardous location lighting. As a rapidly growing company, we have earned the trust of global customers in North America, Latin America, the Middle East, Europe, and Southeast Asia. We are Making Seriously Safe LightsTM with an unwavering gold standard of quality.
E.E: What’s the news about new products?
N.P: We recently launched two new industrial lighting fixtures with ATEX & IECEx standards. These standards are more prominent in Europe and Middle East markets.
Within the next year, Red Sky will be launching more new products with improvements to make for easier installation, higher lumen efficacy, and using less materials to produce, making them lighter and more efficient to ship.
E.E: What are the ranges of products?
N.P: Red Sky Lighting offers a range of lighting solutions designed for use in hazardous environments caused by gases, flammable fibers, filings, and dust particles. Our products are compliant with IECEx, ATEX, or UL standards and are rated to withstand the temperature conditions of such environments. The company’s product lines include high bay and low bay lighting fixtures, floodlights, linear lights, retrofit lighting, and emergency lighting.
HIGH BAY & LOW BAY
Red Sky’s high bay and low bay lighting solutions are designed to be mounted on ceilings and serve as overhead lighting for industrial buildings such as repair facilities, warehouses, factories and agriculture storage areas, such as grain silos.
LINEAR
Designed for lower mounting heights, Red Sky linear lighting fixtures are ideal replacements for existing fluorescent light fixtures. Suitable for industrial spaces, our linear lighting is certified for locations such as walkways, isles, and areas where low glare and even light levels are required, including laboratories and spray paint booths.
FLOODLIGHT
Red Sky’s range of floodlights provides solutions for both indoor and outdoor lighting. Our floodlights are designed to illuminate a wide area, making them ideal for facilities such as shipyards, paper mills and factories.
RETROFIT
Red Sky provides a range of retrofit products that can attach to existing light fixture mounts and re-use existing wiring, saving material and installation costs while updating efficiency.
EMERGENCY
Our emergency lights have an integrated battery and will activate to provide illumination in the event of a power outage, ensuring that safety isn’t compromised even under unexpected conditions.
Naren Pillai
Managing Director
E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?
N.P: Compared to many other market segments, the market for harsh and hazardous location LED lighting is relatively niche. This is due in part to the high threshold for certifications, craftsmanship, and quality that is required in this market. While customers in this market are relatively less price-sensitive, trust and credibility are paramount. Customers prefer manufacturers that they can trust to provide reliable products and excellent service. As a result of its commitment to quality and trustworthiness, Red Sky Lighting has earned a strong reputation among its customers.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
N.P: In the market for heavy industries, sustainability is a crucial trend, and Red Sky Lighting is committed to addressing this need. As ESG initiatives gain traction and companies seek to reduce carbon emissions through better governance and technological innovations, we recognize the important role that lighting can play. In fact, lighting accounts for nearly 5% of global CO2 emissions. By using LED technology, lighting solutions can achieve energy savings of 50-70%+ compared to traditional lighting, resulting in significant reductions in carbon emissions. That’s why Red Sky’s R&D and innovation efforts are focused on optimizing our products to use fewer materials, be lighter and smaller, have longer lifespans, and enhance power efficiency and lumen efficacy. By prioritizing sustainability in our products and operations, we aim to provide our customers with solutions that not only meet their lighting needs but also contribute to a more sustainable future.
E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?
N.P: The High Bay Hot Series, a flagship offering from Red Sky Lighting, is purpose-built to withstand scorching temperatures of up to 176°F (80°C). Designed with an innovative vertical flow cooling fin and a robust driver box, the High Hot Bay is built to excel in even the most challenging environments. By replacing traditional 200W-400W HID/HPS/metal halide fixtures, the High Bay Hot Series delivers exceptional longevity with minimal lighting decline, setting a new benchmark for efficiency and durability.
Red Sky Lighting’s Modular Hot Series is an advanced lighting solution specifically designed for high temperature environments. The Modular Series uses modular design that accommodates up to 8 LED modules, custom drivers, and a large light face to produce an astonishing light output of up to 120,000 lumens. Modular Hot is designed to function in temperatures of up to 159°F (70°C). From steel mills to foundries, cranes to power plants, the Modular Hot Series empowers heavy industries with unparalleled illumination, enabling operations to thrive even in the most demanding conditions.
