LED fixtures can be complicated to install and service, but they don’t have to be. The Philips Service tag is a unique QR (Quick Response)-based identification system that makes installation and service of LED lighting remarkably quick, and surprisingly easy.
Across indoor and outdoor applications, LEDification is a fast-growing trend with 80% of market applications expected to be LEDified by 2020. This is no surprise: LED lighting offers major benefits over conventional and HID lighting including high light quality and outstanding energy efficiency. However, LED technology is more complicated than conventional lighting technologies. Maintaining LED lighting fixtures and systems is also more complex, and requires different competencies and processes.
That doesn't have to mean more journeys out on the road with the cherry-picker for service and maintenance engineers, though. Or wasted time and money maintaining lighting fixtures in high ceiling applications such as warehouses. There’s an easier way.
Simply scan the QR code
Philips Lighting is the industry leader in LED lighting, and has developed a Service tag to simplify LED installation and maintenance. This unique QR-based identification system is placed on next-generation Philips luminaires and the boxes they are delivered in. Extra stickers placed inside the pole or on a building’s fuse box help with support whenever it’s required.
The obvious starting point is the luminaire in its sealed box. By scanning the QR code on the box with the Service tag app on a tablet or smartphone, it immediately shows exactly what’s in the box. This gives the full description of the luminaire, the technical specification sheet, and all the information required for easy and professional installation.
Philips' Service tag stickers inside the door of a luminaire pole or on a building’s fuse box also help troubleshooting. Simply scanning the tag of a defective luminaire will provide a troubleshooting guide for that particular luminaire. The Service tag app will also show the available spare parts for that product, presented in the order of the most probable causes of the problem.
The time savings gained by this approach are considerable. Instead of trying to work out the problem and how to solve it, service and maintenance engineers can quickly see the troubleshooting tree and find the fault themselves. They also save time by solving the problem on the spot without having to return to the faulty luminaire later.
Importantly, digital spare parts such as LED drivers can be reprogrammed to their original factory settings on location. This overcomes the frustration of receiving a spare part in the field, only to discover that it needs to be reset. With the Philips Service tag it’s easy. NFC (Near Field Communication) technology enables immediate reprogramming – simply place the tablet directly on the driver and press ‘Program’.
Get ready for the digital era
Even if there is no remote lighting management system installed, this approach will already provide some basic information available on the luminaires. That makes it possible to start building a digital database instead of just using spreadsheets. When the time comes, the upgrade will be much easier.
In a nutshell, the Philips Service tag offers:
LEDification is transforming the lighting industry. Those responsible for managing lighting installations are coming under increasing pressure to speed up fault-finding and repair, while meeting rising safety and efficiency demands. The Philips Service tag is a key tool for maintaining an optimum lighting service.
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Cluster Product Manager, Europe
