The rocky road from the hardware light to the world of IoT

It's not just the lighting industry that needs to reinvent itself. The development of disruptive business models and the generation of technology-based radical innovations pose major challenges, especially for established companies, as they are accompanied by far-reaching changes in the organization. One solution for companies to maintain their pioneering role in this intensified market and competitive landscape is the so-called "Corporate Lab". Within the framework of this internal organizational greenhouse, start-ups can be founded/financed and success-relevant business models can be driven forward to new success via shared services and stage-gate processes.

Like many other industries, the lighting sector is in a state of upheaval: sales of conventional lighting solutions are falling and radical technological developments such as LED technology or the Internet of Things (IoT) are enabling the development of entirely new business models with great potential. The future is called "service transformation" and "digital and data-driven business models". Companies from outside the industry and startups have recognized this opportunity and are pushing vehemently with their ecosystems into the hitherto rather static and clearly structured market. As a result, the hitherto dominant market players are under great pressure to act.