WILLIAMSVILLE, NY—In a difficult economy, every cent matters. As seemingly everyone scrambles to save money, the temptation of sourcing knock-off and counterfeit lamps for projectors is for many too good to resist. While it might help make the numbers in the short term, what are the real costs of copy lamps?
Image quality is just the start of the risk list, said Eric Lanham, president and COO, Just Lamps, followed by performance and safety concerns.
To raise awareness of knock-off lamps and “provide education” for integrators, Just Lamps, a specialty distributor of original manufacturer (OEM) replacement lamps, created a brand new website, Genuine- Lamps.com.
Endorsed by major organizations within the audio/video industry, the new website has been established to educate projector users and resellers about the benefits of choosing fully compliant, fully tested, genuine replacement lamps, versus the risks associated with buying untested and unregulated fakes that may void the projector warranty.
Lanham elaborated that while they don’t overplay the “safety issues,” there are irrefutable concerns with the extremely high temperatures produced by projectors, as well as the high voltage, and high-pressure quartz and glass components. Some lamps reach temperatures of 8,000 degrees at their center and can melt nearby components, and the pressure is nearly 70 times the pressure of car tires. Just Lamps asks: are these risks you want to experiment with in your home, workplace, or classroom?
Just Lamps opened its U.S. headquarters in Buffalo, NY (replicating its successful European business model). They offer industry-standard original manufacturer replacements for every digital projector ever made. Yes, every digital projector ever made. Lanham explained that the company simplifies sourcing for partners through serious stock investment (more than 7,000-plus projector models) and specialist profiling.
The benefits to Just Lamp partners, Lanham said, are 90 percent of orders get shipped the same day, integrators can create their own individual lamp websites using Just Lamps data and stock, and use Just Lamps plain-packaging service for next-day direct delivery.
The market for replacement frontprojection lamps is expected to grow, according to the data, while rear-projection demand is forecast to drop off rapidly. “It’s a great time for installers to create additional revenue streams by offering support services for replacement lamp needs,” he added.
Perhaps the most significant benefit to dealers who link up with Just Lamps, or visit Genuine-Lamps.com, is the preservation of credibility and trust with their customer. End-users have a reasonable expectation of long-life performance from their projectors. Dealers should consider that copy lamps add an unnecessary element of risk.
What’s the main goal of the new Genuine-Lamps.com initiative? Education. “We ultimately are committed to helping dealers and integrators make informed decisions and will be there to support those decisions with original manufacturer replacement lamps and uncompromising levels of service,” Lanham said.
