An LED Lighting firm has put itself in pole position for future success by winning a manufacturing contract for Grand Prix motor racing.
McGeoch LED Technology designed and manufactured a set of prototype high-tech racing flag panels, which received excellent feedback from both officials and drivers in the Australian, Bahrain, Spanish, Turkish, Monaco and French Grand Prix of 2008, and most recently featured in the 2009 Australian Grand Prix.
Traditional flags used at Grand Prix races are waved by track marshals to warn drivers of hazards, for instance; crash debris and slippery track due to oil or engine fluid spillage, as well as more basic signals such as, to stop the session, to warn that the safety car has been deployed or to indicate that the track is clear.
The new panels, designed and developed at McGeoch’s Cumbria premises, use hundreds of LEDs (light emitting diodes) to safely show the same messages from race control without marshals having to take up dangerous positions.
Light from the banks of high-powered red, green and blue LEDs were mixed using special optical components to ensure that the colour was consistent from all parts of the flag and from wherever they are viewed.
With plans for night racing in future Grand Prix races, the LED flags are fitted with a dimming function and they can flash to simulate a waved flag.
McGeoch won this larger production contract, despite global competition from other manufacturers, by paying particular attention to the correct colour mixing and providing a rapid design and prototype service. The flags are being produced to cover the whole track rather than selected corners.
The Cumbrian operation was set up as a division of Birmingham based McGeoch Technology in 2007. In this short period of time the company has fast made an impact on the LED market and with other potential contracts in the rail and offshore markets, the future is looking bright!
The parent firm established 175 years ago employs more than 100 people and is a market leader for supplying bespoke lighting products for warships and submarines, including internal and external lights for the Astute-class submarine built in Barrow, the Type-45 frigate and other existing navy vessels. McGeoch has recently won further contracts to build lights and switchgear for the Navy’s new aircraft carrier.
