China Economic Weekly-Ceweekly.cn (Reporter Song Jie): Signify (Amsterdam European Stock Exchange code: LIGHT), a global leader in lighting equipment, announced in Shanghai on October 15 that it was accelerating the promotion and application of its latest UV-C ultraviolet disinfection products in the Chinese market. UV-C ultraviolet products, developed for professional lighting market, can be used to disinfect air, object surface and articles to provide safety for people working in schools, restaurants, retail industry, industry, offices and public transportation industry. It is worth mentioning that Signify’s collaborative research with Boston University shows that its UV-C ultraviolet light source can inactivate SARS-CoV-2 virus of COVID-19 pandemic.

At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak, Dr. Anthony Griffiths, an associate professor of medical microbiology at Boston University, and his team began to develop related equipment for the research of the virus. They used Signify's UV-C ultraviolet light source products, and explored the inactivation ability of different doses of UV-C ultraviolet radiation on the virus on the surface of inoculation materials. The research team inactivated 99% of SARS-CoV-2 virus with a radiation dose of 5 mJ/cm2 and a radiation time of 6 seconds. The data show that 99.9999% of the virus can be inactivated if a radiation dose of 22 mJ/cm2 (radiation time of 25 seconds) is used.

Eric Rondolat, CEO of Signify, said that in view of the great potential of this technology to fight against COVID-19 pandemic, Signify promised to share it with other lighting companies, and that to meet the rapidly growing market demand, Signify would increase its production capacity of related products.

"Nowadays, people must be aware of the importance of disinfecting air, object surfaces and articles." Wang Yun, senior vice president of Signify for global operation and president of the Greater China region of Signify, said, "With our rich experience and abundant knowledge in developing ultraviolet products, we will provide customers in offices, schools, public transports, and retail stores with a greater variety of products for sterilization and disinfection.”

Customized solutions can be optimized and adjusted to meet the needs of different usage scenarios, such as disinfecting customers' luggage in airports and hotels, disinfecting parcel mails in office buildings, or disinfecting large objects such as shopping carts.

Data show that Signify's business covers professional lighting, consumer lighting and Internet of Things lighting. In 2019, Signify's annual sales reached 6.2 billion euros, and it had about 36,000 employees in more than 70 countries and regions around the world.