Custom designed work lights – more cost-effective than you think

For many years, we have seen how the automotive industry uses lighting as a brand-strengthening recognition factor. Few design details are as distinctive and character-creating for the brand and vehicle, as well-designed lights. But how do you produce lighting that is tailored to a vehicle? TYRI has over 40 years of experience in the design and production of lighting. TYRI’s Christian Wadell, responsible for product and design development, explains how it can be done.

In recent years, TYRI has made many different design collaborations with some of the largest manufacturers in the world. For example, together with Toyota Material Handling, TYRI worked to design a rear lighting bar for the Toyota Traigo80. A truck that in 2019 won a German Design Award. TYRI has also received awards as the best supplier from many of its well-known customers. The secret, says Christian, is the proximity to the customer and TYRI’s clear focus on having everything in house.

– There are few assignments that are impossible for us. Our customers are very creative and have high expectations that we always aim to exceed. This means that we aim to create an organization that will always go above and beyond for our customers, and we invest in having all the expertise in house. Bringing a bespoke lighting solution to a customer is always fun and challenging. When we have clear expectations of what the lighting will achieve and we are involved in the design work from the start, we can involve our experts at an early stage saving time and money in long run.

The design team produces the exterior design, the technicians manage the conditions so that the light meets the desired requirements. Our team of 3D designers make simulations that show how the vehicle looks with the proposed lights and what light image you can expect. Then comes testing and production where we build prototypes in our production facility and test them in our own test environments. Just like when we develop new lights that will be mass-produced in hundreds of thousands of units, Christian says.

The difference in cost for designing your own lighting compared to buying mass-produced ones decreases with the number of units. TYRI says that usually, a volume of 5000 units is required for it to be possible to compare prices. Then it is a lot about what the design looks like and what conditions and requirements there are.

– The cost does not have to exceed our mass-produced lights. Many times, we can use a lot of what is already available so when the requirement is for small volumes, the production looks the same, no matter what kind of light it is. The additional costs that exist are for the design, development and test work and it usually does not make much difference per unit in the end, says Christian.

The benefits of designing lights specifically for the vehicle and purpose are many. The opportunity for your own design and what it creates in value for the brand is of course a great advantage. However, it is about so much more than that. The design inside the lamp is also as important. Here, the customer can specify how strong the light should be, the light colour, whether it is a warm or cold light you are striving for, and other specifications that can be met when the light is built from the ground up for a specific vehicle.

– With all the advantages that exist in designing customised lights, I would say that they are superior to the lights we have in series production. Here we use 40 years of experience and the company’s full potential to produce a specific light at a cost that is often close to our catalogue lights, says Christian.