How brilliant is Signify’s “In China, for the World” strategy? | In-depth Analysis
At the recent China International Import Expo (CIIE), Signify showcased a range of innovative products focusing on AI, health, and sustainable development under the theme “Building Dreams with Light, Illuminating the Future.” Through these new products, it is evident that the lighting industry is advancing from single-function supply to deep integration across multiple fields.
At the “Lighting and Health & Well-being” area of the Signify CIIE booth, staff demonstratedthe features of the Philips Airis Series Solutionto attendees. When the demonstrator simulated a fall, the sensors built into the luminaire immediately identified the abnormal behavior, and the system automatically pushed warning alerts, sparking lively discussion. This smart lighting product, designed specifically for the elderly, uses dual ToF + radar sensing and AI algorithmsto recognize 26 types of falls and 15 abnormal states in real time,truly achieving “unobtrusive intelligent care.”
This scenario aptly印证s the view of Yin Kang, CEO of Signify Greater China: “General lighting is beginning to挖掘 more precise target groups and needs, such as the needs of the elderly and children.” The R&D approach of the Philips Airis Series is a typical example of Signify’s commitment to China’s aging trend and focus on local user pain points, profoundly reflecting the strategic adherence to “In China, for China.”
Deeply cultivating Chinese demand Achieving the shift from “illuminating” to “understanding you” with precise lighting solutions
Signify not only focuses on general lighting needs but is also committed to providing customized solutions for diverse scenarios in the Chinese market.
Healthy China is a national strategy of our country. From the perspective of national health, Signify also has targeted solutions. “Seven venues in the Jiangsu Super League have adopted our lighting; these are professional-grade stadiums. However, if the fitness needs of the general public grow, we also have the capability to provide solutions. Therefore, we closely monitor opportunities for high-quality development,” said Yin Kang.
This precise approach is also reflected in other product lines of Signify. For example, the recently launched NatureConnect natural light solution simulates circadian rhythm through professional light recipes, allowing people to experience the authentic texture of natural light indoors, directly addressing health pain points in indoor environments such as offices and healthcare facilities, and upgrading original lighting needs.
The Philips（照明业务：Signify 昕诺飞）AI悦光伴 series solution, which was a hit at the CIIE, precisely captures Chinese consumers' demand for personalized and emotional interaction. It enables intelligent dimming through voice and facial expression interaction, evolves its "personality" based on user habits, and becomes a lighting partner that understands Chinese users' emotions, achieving a leap from "illuminating" to "understanding you".
In the field of deep integration of AI and lighting, Signify continues to break through with a focus on Chinese market demands. The Interact City Flex smart connected road lighting system, making its China debut, is the first to feature the world's first GenAI agent in the lighting industry. It supports simple natural language interaction, can monitor device status in real-time, automatically identify faults, and generate operation and maintenance reports. It has already been piloted in Dalian High-Tech Zone, significantly reducing municipal O&M costs and precisely matching the demands of China's urban intelligent upgrade.
Today, this AI technology is further extended to office scenarios, and the Interact Office Flex system, empowered by the GenAI agent, was also recently released. Designed specifically for lightweight intelligent retrofitting of existing office spaces, it balances energy saving goals with human-centric comfort through "proactive decision-making". The world's first generative AI (GenAI) agent in the lighting industry, released by Signify this May, has also passed the highest level of certification from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT). Its core advantage lies in generative AI trained on hundreds of millions of data points, enabling a paradigm shift from "passive response" to "proactive decision-making".
As Yin Kang stated, cross-border technology fusion is an important trend in the lighting industry, and the Chinese market provides an excellent platform for the implementation and transformation of these innovative technologies.
From age-friendly lighting addressing China's aging trend, to sports venues and indoor healthy lighting meeting nationwide health needs, to AI lighting solutions empowering urban intelligence and office efficiency, Signify always starts with the real needs of the Chinese market. Through the thousand-strong team at its Shanghai global R&D center, it deeply cultivates technological innovation, transforming the commitment of "In China, For China" into concrete products and solutions, and further promotes the transformation of China's lighting industry towards intelligent, healthy, and sustainable high-quality development by sharing globally leading technologies and ecosystem co-construction experiences. Deeply rooted in China, its "second homeland" Local innovation feeds back into the global market
值得关注的是，昕诺飞全球首席执行官腾博明（As Tempelman）履新后亚洲首访即落地中国，通过政企对接、探厂调研等行程，重申对中国市场的战略重视，凸显中国在其全球版图中的核心地位，也再次印证了公司“在中国为中国”到“在中国为全球”的发展理念。
From simple product imports to production centers, and then to R&D and production centers, China has become Signify's "second homeland" and a global innovation hub. Today, Signify has 9 production bases in China, with its Shanghai R&D Center being the largest R&D hub globally , where numerous new technologies are incubated. These projects serve both the local market and feed back into the global market. "The Philips Hue smart home series was developed with the participation of the Chinese team, and it has received very positive feedback in European and American markets," said Yin Kang.
China Light Net has observed that Signify is frequently taking actions to deepen its local layout and promote global synergy. In addition to localizing R&D, it regards "deepening local cooperation" as an important pillar of its long-term strategy. During the China International Import Expo, Signify reached a joint innovation cooperation agreement with the Yangtze River Delta National Technology Innovation Center, focusing on frontier fields such as new material applications and artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, it joined hands with the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology to release the Lighting Agent Alliance standards , laying the foundation for the unification of industry technical specifications. This global leading lighting enterprise is integrating into the local innovation ecosystem through dual paths of standard setting and joint technology research. As Yin Kang stated: "We actually have many innovative technologies, but the application and implementation of innovative technologies still require many like-minded partners within and outside the industry."
Furthermore, from the Acquisition of local enterprises such as Shenzhen Leiming and Zhejiang Kaiyao, to establishing joint ventures with Xiaomi and Baozun, Signify's recent initiatives demonstrate its determination to deeply cultivate the Chinese market. Diversified local cooperation has further strengthened Signify's market penetration."These are excellent companies. In the future, we will continue to monitor opportunities both within and outside the lighting industry and consider other M&A opportunities to achieve dual-engine growth," revealed Yin Kang.
China Light Network believes that the key to Signify's success in the Chinese market lies in its precise strategic positioning. Its dual perspective of cultivating locally while keeping a global outlook enables it to maintain a unique advantage in fierce market competition: On one hand, it closely follows the direction of China's "15th Five-Year Plan" and other planning guidelines, with its strategy highly aligned with policy trends. Its focus on Healthy lighting, low-carbon sustainability, and smart lighting resonates with China's "Dual Carbon" goals, responses to population aging, and demands for artificial intelligence, creating space for policy dividends for long-term development. The company has already made advance layouts in these areas; On the other hand, from local R&D and production supporting global innovation, to accelerating technology implementation and ecosystem cooperation, Signify's "In China, for Global" layout has formed a clear closed loop. China Light Network believes that Signify's development in China has gone beyond simple geographic expansion; instead, it is building a complete innovation ecosystem.
As the lighting industry transforms from traditional manufacturing to technology services, Signify's exploratory practices in the Chinese market not only provide innovative momentum for its global business but also offer valuable references for the transformation and upgrading of the entire industry.