Signify Commercial UK Limited

The World Leader in Connected Lighting

Signify is the world's leading company in lighting products, systems, and services. They are much more than a light bulb manufacturer—they are an innovation company focused on the Internet of Things (IoT) and making light intelligent.

While based in the Netherlands, the UK commercial arm handles major projects that are shaping our cities and buildings.

What Makes Signify a Creative and Engineering Hub?

Signify sits right at the intersection of creative design and cutting-edge engineering, offering pathways for students who excel in both:

1. The Engineering Challenge: Light as Data

Signify's main focus is connected lighting systems (like their Interact platform). This transforms a simple light fixture into a point of data.

• IoT & Software: Engineers here design systems that manage thousands of lights remotely, track energy usage, and even use light sensors to map the occupancy of a building. This involves complex work in embedded electronics, network protocol design (like DALI), and software development.

• The Smart City: They install large-scale smart street lighting systems that can be monitored and controlled in real-time by city managers, drastically cutting energy use (by up to 80%) and laying the groundwork for broader Smart City infrastructure.

2. The Creative Challenge: Light for Wellbeing

Lighting is a powerful creative tool that affects human mood, productivity, and safety. Signify employs designers who use light to enhance human experience.

• Human Centric Lighting (HCL): Designers focus on creating systems that automatically adjust light color and intensity throughout the day to mimic natural sunlight, boosting concentration in offices and aiding recovery in hospitals.

• Architectural Artistry: They use sophisticated, dynamic LED systems (under brands like Color Kinetics) to illuminate iconic buildings and sports stadiums, transforming architecture into public art at night.

Interesting Fact

Signify pioneered Li-Fi, a technology that transmits high-speed internet data using light waves from LED bulbs—turning the illumination in a room into a fast, wireless internet connection!