Acquisition of Healthcare Lighting Expands Acuity’s Medical Market Offerings

Acuity Brands, Inc., Atlanta, acquired Healthcare Lighting, Inc., Fairview, Pa., a manufacturer and marketer of specialized, high-performance lighting products for healthcare facilities. Terms of the all-cash acquisition were not disclosed.

Healthcare Lighting, founded in 2003, will continue to operate in its existing facilities in Fairview under Acuity’s ownership. Its primary products include bed lights, night lights, sconces, darkroom and x-ray lighting, specialty lighting for MRI equipment, corridor lighting, message signs and supplemental lighting for surgical suites.

In highlighting the deal, Acuity pointed to its own estimates and those of independent third-party analysts that the North American market for lighting and lighting controls of new healthcare facilities exceeds $1 billion annually while the renovation opportunity for existing healthcare facilities is as much as $20 billion. Acuity’s existing product portfolio combined with the specialty medical products added in the Healthcare Lighting acquisition gives it the opportunity to further enhance and develop complete lighting solutions for the healthcare industry.

“Healthcare Lighting’s philosophy of delivering high-quality, energy-efficient lighting solutions mirrors that of Acuity Brands,” said Vernon Nagel, Acuity’s chairman, president and CEO. “It is well documented that quality lighting enables an improved healthcare experience. Healthcare Lighting provides us with expertise and a specialized product portfolio that expands our robust and cost-effective lighting solutions for the large and growing healthcare industry. We welcome this high-caliber team to the Acuity Brands family.”

Healthcare Lighting specializes in the design and manufacture of medical lighting products to enhance the visual environment in healthcare settings, thereby improving the level of patient comfort and aiding caregiver staff in the performance of their duties. Its exclusive focus on this industry has allowed Healthcare Lighting to establish and leverage relationships with healthcare facilities to develop specialized ambient and task lighting products for modern healthcare facilities, including patient and examination rooms, surgical suites and medical procedure rooms, as well as lighting products for specialized medical functions.

“Lighting within a healthcare environment calls for rigorous, continuous review of current standards and a keen understanding of our customers’ unique lighting needs,” said Steven Day, president of Healthcare Lighting. “As experts in lighting for this customer set, we understand how to provide an optimal lighting experience for patients and caregivers. We are customer-driven, using insights gained from the direct perspectives of nurses, patients, doctors, guests, and healthcare facility support staff. We are delighted to find ourselves aligned with an industry leader who will support the continuous development of new and innovative lighting solutions for our customers.”

Acuity Brands’ ever-expanding package of luminaires, lighting control systems and related products produced revenues of $1.6 billion in 2010. Its existing offerings in the healthcare market fall primarily under its Lithonia brand.