Last month RAB Lighting hosted a training program for electrical distributors in its headquarters in Northvale, New Jersey. AIES outside salesman Zack Isla and lighting project manager Michael Hoexter flew to The Garden State to learn more about the company’s LED products.

What was the training about?

Zack: Mainly about the products and processes and how they’re put together. RAB covered the new products that are coming out, different LED technologies and the actual LED diodes they put in the fixtures. They also talked about drivers they use and different applications their product lines are used for.

How familiar were you with RAB prior to the training?

Z: I’ve dealt with the company before in the past and I’ve sold RAB products. I didn’t have a full understanding of all the different products lines, but last week they touched base on all the different items they have in the catalog.

Michael: I wasn’t as familiar with RAB as Zack, but I learned a lot in New Jersey. My understanding is that they were focused on outdoor lighting and now have new indoor lighting products that are actually really cool. Now we can bring samples in-house and see what they do in terms of our counter business.

Were there sessions you found especially interesting?

Z: I enjoyed learning more about RAB’s new interior lighting products. The company has been primarily focused on all outdoor products — wall packs and light poles. Now, focusing on the interior, they’ve got LED down lights and panel lights. I also liked the tour of the plant. We got to see different stations and different aspects of what they actually do in New Jersey.

M: I liked RAB’s focus on how they market their materials for our business, and how they position their products. RAB produces high quality fixtures and luminaries that don’t cost a lot of money. The company is focused on the contractor. They understand the purpose of the lighting is to get installed, so they really focus on how to make these fixtures easy to install.

Z: They definitely touched base on how easy the fixtures are to install and as well as how they’re readily available to our customers. They have a lot of stock in New Jersey and now in southern California, and they’re trying to open different stocking areas to make their products easier to get. And on special occasions or projects, there’s now the ability to put in a request to expedite a product out faster.

M: RAB also emphasized that in the lighting business we get, there are not very many RAB products specified. There’s the specification market, where architects and engineers tell contractors what they want. So RAB is focusing on getting more salespeople to get products specified. We can now sell more RAB if we get more specifications for them.

Is there a specific product you think AIES customers will find interesting?

Z: The 12-watt wallpack was really cool. There was also a 400-watt replacement flood that shone over 175 feet. It can be used outside of the building to illuminate a large wall or sign.

M: It’s really amazing to see these products. A 12-watt incandescent bulb can hardly light a fridge. But now there are 12-watt LED fixtures that can light an area of 40 by 40 feet. That’s really amazing progress in LED technology. There is now “LED efficacy,” which is the amount of watts required to make a certain amount of light. There are efficiencies that are rated over 100, which is near the top in terms of efficacy for the industry.

M: These RAB fixtures are attractively designed. They can be used in a residential, commercial or industrial setting. They don’t look too fancy, so contractors don’t look like they spent too much money on fixtures. But they don’t look ugly, either. They can be used for a building that has some architectural quality to it.

M: The design of the wall pack is quite attractive. There are many ugly luminaries out there, so it’s good to see RAB spent some time making attractive products.

What did you guys do in your spare time?

Z: Drinking. Lots of drinking, lots of eating. The RAB team did a great job taking care of us. The accommodations, getting to and from the airport, the flights, the catered food and open bar — it all was very good.

M: There was radical — for Californians and even New Jerseyans — weather. We mostly stayed at the hotel and RAB. It did clear up by the end of our trip, but it was very cold. Michael, you just joined the AIES team last month. Was this your first time visiting a manufacturer?

M: Yes, this was my first manufacturer visit. I thought it was very interesting to be exposed to RAB’s processes and their pitch to distributors.