nir-vana innovation network

The Belgian SME was founded in 2016 and is a smart lighting technology manufacturer focused on two major markets:
1) animal wellbeing and profitability in the poultry industry
2) intelligent lighting in the architecture and entertainment sector.
In both sectors, it has a proven track record with installations all over the world including the Tomorrowland festival franchise. The company has a combined experience of more than 10 years in the development of lighting products spanning electronics, mechanics, firmware and software.
For the poultry business, it organised the distribution for Belgium and the Netherlands as main countries of precision livestock farming and also the region of origin of the led technology. Dual waterproof PMMA (Polymethyl methacrylate) structure resistant to corrosive environment and high-pressure cleaning are standard for the CE/IP65 product range.
The bio-response system in the poultry barn results from extensive R&D on the influence of light on poultry behaviour. The direct impact such as the significant reduction of ground eggs and feather pecking was demonstrated and validated in several large-scale installations. Together with a longer laying cycle, this leads to a profit mark up of €0,5 per layer. Further, a lower stress level and according mortality for broilers has also been proven. The company has currently been granted several patents on its bio-response system and components. The led lighting range includes hardware mono/bicoloured bulbs/leds and software control equipment for the application of light recipes.
The company is involved in high-level research projects to prepare the future of the brand and also to investigate other livestock opportunities. In the near future, other sensors will be connected to the same power wiring and communication bus as the leds. On top, the controllers will be used as a hub to connect sensors to the cloud for data gathering and optimisation.
For its dynamic led lighting, the SME is looking for independent contractors in Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Poland.
They will be offered solid distributor agreements for prices, product stock, RMA (return merchandise authorisation) procedures and service levels. The selected distributors will enter into a contract with the customers. The Belgian manufacturer prefers to work with fixed catalogue prices for end customers and offers competitive margins towards its distributors (leaving discount strategies at their discretion).

Advantages & innovations

The poultry lighting range improves the welfare of chickens due to dimmable and energy-efficient tubes and bulbs foreseen with individual fuses and controlled by safety dimmers. The intelligent lighting with adapted ‘gallilux’ spectral distribution profiles provides an optimal environment in the barn, which significantly reduces stressful behaviour of both broilers and layers. It leads directly to better feed conversion and therefore, it contributes to a more efficient management of the poultry barn. Hard numbers show a profit mark up of €0,5 per layer due to less ground eggs and a longer laying cycle, close to 90 weeks. For broilers, a lower stress level and according mortality has also been proven. For this reason, return on investment can be reached within one year after installation. The company also invests in further research on the bio-response of poultry on dynamic led lighting in order to develop new products and more advanced light recipes.

Stage of development

Already on the market

Partner sought

For its dynamic led lighting, the Belgian company reaches out to independent contractors supported with solid distribution agreements for prices, product stock, RMA procedures and service levels. The distributors will have the contracts with the customers. The manufacturer will never interact directly with end customers except for R&D related projects in collaboration with the distributor. The SME prefers to work with fixed catalogue prices for end customers offering competitive margins towards its distributors. It leaves discount strategies at the distributor’s discretion. There are two basic relationships according to hinterland, product revenue and core activity: 1) For local/regional distributors: Head distributor/logistic centre -> distributor -> local integrator/turnkey contractor -> poultry farmer 2) For international/interregional constructors/integrators: Manufacturer -> integrator/turnkey barn contractor -> poultry farmer