ELLWOOD CITY — In less than a decade since Appalachian Lighting Systems began operating here, the company has beaten out some of the world’s largest LED manufacturers for contracts with Pittsburgh International Airport and General Motors.

Wayne Township-based Appalachian Lighting, also known as ALLED, took on solid-state lighting’s big dogs again recently and narrowly missed coming out on top.

In the first of what is expected to be an annual event, LEDs Magazine presented its Sapphire Awards last week in Las Vegas with an ALLED product winning one of the award nominations. The event took place in conjunction with the Strategies in Light Conference.

The company’s RAYdiant device was among three nominees for the Sapphire Award in industrial indoor solid-state lighting, along with lights designed by Horner Lighting Group and Eaton’s Cooper, the eventual winner.

The RAYdiant device is a fifth-generation high-bay warehouse and factory light, said Kate Wassel of ALLED, who represented the company at the Sapphire Awards. Even though ALLED fell short in its first crack at the awards, she was more exhilarated than disappointed.

“It was kind of expected that we weren’t going to win,” she said. “But it was a big deal that we were in the top three.”

Appalachian Lighting, which installed Ellwood City’s streetlights as one of its first projects, went on to carry out a larger streetlight project in Welland, Ont., and beat out numerous larger manufacturers for a federally funded project for the parking lots at Pittsburgh International Airport. The company also won a contract to install factory and warehouse lights in the General Motors car manufacturing facility in Lordstown, Ohio.

In Ellwood City, the company’s streetlights typically use about one-fifth as much electricity and last longer than the mercury-vapor devices they replaced.

Wassel said the company is working on additional major projects for street lights, and devices for indoor and outdoor parking facilities.

As posted on March 4, 2015 on ellwoodcityledger.com by Eric Poole