In transit

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Singapore, 13^th October 2014

I made it back safely to Singapore yesterday and spent the morning in transit in the office before jetting off to Perth tonight. On my way back I was in transit in Mumbai and enjoyed its new airport that I believe has been in the making for the last 10 years or so it seems that there was construction going on forever and even now they are not finished yet. Airports are being renovated and build around the world to cater for the new demands of modern travel. Goa’s airport was also renewed even though it is clear to see that many do not have the proper budgets to finish it off to proper detail and workmanship like Changi Airport for instance. In Goa’s departure hall we are still looking at standard T5 fittings in the ceiling of which 20% wasn’t even working. But the pressures are great so airports (like the new one in Bali for instance) start operating regardless. In Bali they used the opportunity to increase the departure airport tax with more than 50%! Let’s not forget its still a business that needs to make money. Also most people in airports are in transit anyhow…most of them may not even have time to notice! In case of Mumbai the transformation is noticeable a huge improvement. But for some things they still don’t get it right. You still hhave to walk for miles and the signage is also everything but easy and clear. A pictogram depicting a plane crashing into the ground is not necessarily the most obvious sign to indicate where the arrival hall is!

Meanwhile why in Goa I did meet some suppliers as I am always eager to learn more from local suppliers and manufacturers. One of them I met is a new local start up Indian LED manufacturer (though admittedly some of his production is not surprisingly done in China) with above expectation type quality fixtures. Supported with IES files, test certificates, Dialux calculations and proper data cut sheets I was suitably impressed. This manufacturer also had developed wireless/ contactless LED units that can be popped in/out of their housing without the need for any connections. Based on induction technology the power is transmitted without contact points and combined with a full cover rubber seal skin, the products achieves IP68 without problem, making it very suitable specifically for under water fixtures. The housing can be popped into the architectural structure, being a pool or other water feature and at a later time, you just pop in the LED head without the need for any wiring…an excellent innovation.

Light Watch 5-172: Some pictures of the induction based LED light fixtures.