Aero-Tech's energy efficient light bulb looks 'normal'

As Congress considers legislation that would phase out the incandescent light bulb, a Schaumburg company is grooming what it hopes could be the traditional bulb's successor.

For 20 years, lighting manufacturer and distributor Aero-Tech Light Bulb Co. has held its own in the incandescent market. Ray Schlosser, the company's president and founder, says it's one of only four U.S. companies that still manufactures incandescent bulbs domestically.

But growing consumer interest in environmentally-responsible products and increased interest in laws to curb global warming could end the incandescent's long reign over the lighting industry.

Compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), which use about one-third the energy of incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer, account for only 6 percent of the global lighting market now, according to the International Energy Agency.

However, Schlosser expects demand for CFLs to grow 25 percent in the next couple of years.

"I can tell because my incandescent business is getting much smaller, and not by 5 or 6 percent, but by a lot more than that," he said.

Despite recognizing the CFL's potential years ago, Schlosser said that he initially approached the market with caution. He still scoffs at the CFL that's received attention recently.

Calling it a "Dairy Queen cone," he describes it as two tubes that wind their way out of a light's base much like chocolate and vanilla soft-serve ice cream swirl around in a wafer cone. The "Dairy Queen cones" are "too skinny, too big, too ugly, too dull," he said, reflecting common complaints he's heard.

But a chance encounter with a Chinese lighting manufacturer willing to explore alternative designs convinced him that the CFL market was worth pursuing.

The pair met five years ago at a Chicago conference organized by the American Hardware Manufacturers Association and have been refining their product since.

The new light is manufactured in China, but Aero-Tech holds the U.S. patent and sole distributor rights for the domestic market. Aero-Tech's new "Evolution" CFL was designed to more closely resemble a traditional light bulb.

The Evolution is formed by four protruding tubes that curve in to mirror the incandescent's bulbous shape.

"If you want to replace incandescents with CFLs, they should look like incandescents," he said. So far, it seems, customers agree.

Nelson Hendrickson, purchasing manager for the eco-conscious online and catalog retailer Gaiam, said that since his company started carrying the Evolution in August 2004, it has sold roughly 900 of them every eight weeks. The only other CFL the company sells moves at the much slower pace of 452 lights per eight weeks.

"We didn't expect it to perform as well as it has," Hendrickson said of Aero-Tech's CFL. "It took off pretty quickly."

As Schlosser predicted, for customers willing to pay a bit more for lighting (Gaiam, for example, sells the lights for $8 to $10 each), the patented shape makes the light an easy replacement in lamps and fixtures designed to accommodate traditional light bulbs.

"It's such a simple product line that really works for everyone," said Claudia Regojo, product development director for Chicago-retailer Greenmaker Supply Co. "It doesn't matter what size the lamp-shade [is] … whereas the other spirally ones don't always fit."

Long-life bulbs, traffic signal lights and light-emitting diodes were once niche markets that supported Schlosser's growing business. Now it looks like the Evolution CFL could be a harbinger of good things to come.

In recent issues, Elle magazine granted the product one of its Green Awards and Buildings magazine named the light one of the editors' top picks for the year.

This month, 106 Chicago-area Ace Hardware stores will feature the Evolution bulb in a promotional flier. And Schlosser says it's possible that the product could soon achieve national distribution.

Aero-Tech obtains roughly $4.5 million in sales annually. But this year that figure could double or triple because of one product and a nationwide push for energy efficiency.

"I've got a great foundation," Schlosser said. "But I need to take it to the next level."

Business Profile

Name: Aero-Tech Light Bulb Co. President and founder: Ray Schlosser Headquarters: Schaumburg Business: Lighting manufacturing and distribution Employees: Sales staff of 12 in Schaumburg, 30 in Mullins, S.C., factory. 2006 revenues: $4.5 million Web site: www.aerolights.com