Light Sources
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1983
- HeadquartersOrange, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Light Sources does
Light Sources Inc. is a privately held, 40-year-old OEM specialty lighting manufacturer founded in 1983 by Christian L. Sauska, headquartered in Orange, Connecticut, and operating with approximately 1,000 employees across North America and Europe plus a sales office in Shanghai. The company designs and manufactures UV germicidal lamps and specialty fluorescent light sources that OEM customers integrate into their own water treatment, air purification, surface disinfection, UV curing, backlighting, tanning, and signage systems. Core technology spans low-pressure mercury lamps emitting at 254nm, low-pressure amalgam lamps with up to three times standard intensity, medium-pressure broad-spectrum UV lamps, Far UVC / excimer lamps at 222nm for occupied-space disinfection, ozone-generating 185nm lamps, and 172nm excimer lamps for surface activation; proprietary differentiators include the LongLife+ coating (extending lamp life to 16,000 hours), Shatter ProTech mercury containment, Rotronic Color Guard uniform phosphor coating, and custom rare-earth phosphor blends.
The business model is OEM-embedded and custom-engineered: LightSources co-designs lamps with OEM partners from concept through production, supports rapid prototyping, and ships under just-in-time replenishment programs with multi-year contractual relationships and quotation-based pricing. Revenue streams split across UV germicidal lamps, custom OEM solutions, specialty and tanning lamps, and aftermarket/replacement lamp sales for the installed base. Distribution combines direct global OEM sales with affiliated specialty brands (LCD Lighting, Voltarc, KULKA, MASQNLITE, CERLUX) and a strategic partnership with Hungary-based LightTech, collectively addressing water, air, surface, food, healthcare, transportation, signage, and industrial curing verticals worldwide. ISO 9001:2015 certification, 40+ years of accumulated process know-how, and deep in-house lamp and ceramic-base engineering capability (anchored by veterans with 30+ years of discharge-lamp experience and former GE Lighting technologists) underpin the operating platform.
Light Sources firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Light Sources
- Legal name
- Light Sources Inc.
- Website
- https://light-sources.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1983
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Light Sources is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Orange
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Light Sources business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- UV Germicidal Lamps: Manufacturing and sale of UV germicidal lamps for water, air, and surface disinfection applications. The company serves OEM manufacturers who integrate these lamps into disinfection systems.
- Custom OEM Solutions: Custom lamp design, engineering, and prototype development services for OEM partners with proprietary specifications including custom geometries, ceramic base assemblies, and tailored electrical characteristics.
- Specialty Lamps: Specialty fluorescent lamps, tanning lamps, sign lamps, backlighting solutions, and UV curing lamps for various industrial and commercial applications.
- Aftermarket/Replacement Lamps: Replacement lamp sales providing ongoing revenue from installed base of OEM systems through just-in-time manufacturing capabilities.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom OEM quotation-based pricing for specialized lamp requirements |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Light Sources product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Light Sources Inc. (LightSources) is a global OEM designer and manufacturer of UV germicidal lamps and specialty light sources used in air, water, and surface disinfection systems. The company engineers low-pressure mercury, amalgam, medium-pressure, Far-UVC (222nm) excimer, and ozone-generating (185nm) UV lamps, alongside specialty fluorescent, UV curing, backlighting, tanning, and neon sign lighting products. It sells primarily through B2B direct OEM channels, supported by custom engineering, prototype development, and just-in-time manufacturing across North America, Europe, and Asia.
Product overview
LightSources is a premier UV light bulb manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of engineered lighting solutions for OEM integration. The core product portfolio centers on UV Germicidal Lamps (UVC) at 254nm for air, surface, and water disinfection, complemented by Low-Pressure Mercury Lamps, Low-Pressure Amalgam Lamps, and Medium-Pressure UV Lamps. The company also produces Far UVC / Excimer Lamps (222nm) for occupied-space disinfection and Ozone-Generating Lamps (185nm) for enhanced oxidation. Supporting components include UV Quartz Sleeves, Electronic Ballasts, Proprietary Bases and Sockets, and Lampholders and Wiring Devices. Through its Voltarc brand, LightSources offers Sign Lamps including Masonlite Millennium™ Neon Electrodes, TriLight™ Neon Sign Tubing with Rotronic Color Guard™ coating, and Cold Cathode Lamp Blanks. Additional specialty offerings include Backlighting Lamps for aviation/shipboard/vetronics, Tanning Lamps, UV Curing Lamps, and Specialty Fluorescent Lamps. Proprietary technologies include LongLife+™ (extending lamp life to 16,000 hours) and Shatter ProTech™ (glass containment). The company serves OEM customers in water treatment, air purification, surface disinfection, healthcare, food processing, and industrial applications worldwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- LCD Lighting: Specialty fluorescent lamps and lighting solutions.
- VOLTARC
- KULKA
- MASQNLITE
- CERLUX
- LongLife+™
- Shatter ProTech™
Products and services
- Low-Pressure Mercury UV Germicidal Lamps
Quantifiable outcome
- UV lamp operating life extended up to 16,000 hours with LongLife+ coating
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Light Sources
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Light Sources technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Light Sources partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- LightTechcoreStrategic partner LightTech, celebrating 40th year in business alongside LightSources, are global leaders in UVC germicidal lamp industry. LightTech provides manufacturing capabilities and technology development supporting the LightSources group's UV lamp production.
- LCD Lighting, Inc.coreAffiliated company within the LightSources group specializing in specialty fluorescent lamps and lighting solutions for various industrial applications.
- VoltarccoreAffiliated company specializing in neon sign lighting products including electrodes, tubing, and related components for the signage industry.
- KULKAcoreAffiliated company under the LightSources group, likely serving lampholder and wiring device applications.
- MASQNLITEcoreAffiliated company specializing in neon sign lighting products, specifically neon electrodes for signage professionals.
- CERLUXcoreAffiliated company within LightSources group providing proprietary bases and sockets and specialty ceramic materials for lamp manufacturing.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Light Sources competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Xenex Disinfection Services: Xenex manufactures pulsed xenon UV disinfection robots for healthcare facilities, competing with LightSources' UVC surface disinfection lamps in hospital applications. Both target pathogen inactivation in healthcare though Xenex focuses on finished disinfection devices rather than OEM lamp supply.
- Atlantic Ultraviolet Corporation: Atlantic Ultraviolet is a US-based manufacturer of UV-C germicidal lamps and disinfection equipment directly comparable to LightSources — overlapping low-pressure mercury lamp technology, OEM-channel distribution, and water/air/surface disinfection end markets. Comparable mid-sized specialty UVC manufacturer.
- UV-Guard (Heralux): UV-Guard is a specialty UV germicidal lamp and disinfection system manufacturer serving water and air treatment markets, closely comparable to LightSources in product scope, OEM focus, and mid-sized specialty positioning.
Emerging players
- Bolb Inc. Bolb is an emerging UV-LED manufacturer competing with LightSources' mercury-based germicidal lamps in air and surface disinfection applications. Represents the long-term disruptive technology threat to LightSources' mercury-lamp core.
Others
- Calgon Carbon (Kuraray): Calgon Carbon supplies UV disinfection and activated carbon solutions for water treatment, comparable to LightSources in the UV water treatment end market. Functions more as a customer/adjacent player in UV systems than a direct lamp OEM.
Broad incumbents
- Evoqua Water Technologies (Xylem): Evoqua (now part of Xylem) supplies UV disinfection systems for municipal and industrial water treatment using comparable lamp-based UV technology. Both serve water treatment OEMs/utilities though Evoqua is a much larger systems integrator.
- OSRAM (ams OSRAM): OSRAM is a major specialty and UV lighting manufacturer producing specialty fluorescent and UV lamps comparable to LightSources' portfolio. Both serve OEM channels with custom-engineered lamp solutions though OSRAM is far broader in scope.
- Halma plc (UV-Technik / Hanovia): Halma owns Hanovia and other UV technology subsidiaries producing UVC lamps for water treatment and industrial disinfection. Both serve OEM/integrator channels with low-pressure and medium-pressure UV lamps for water and process applications.
- Philips (Signify): Signify (Philips Lighting) is a global lighting incumbent whose UV-C disinfection lamp business directly overlaps with LightSources' germicidal product portfolio. Both sell UVC lamps for air, water, and surface disinfection to OEMs and end users, though Signify operates at much greater scale and across broader commercial/residential lighting categories.
Regional players
- Severn Trent Services (UV disinfection): Severn Trent Services provides UV disinfection solutions primarily to municipal water and wastewater customers with comparable low-pressure and medium-pressure UV lamp technology. It overlaps with LightSources' municipal water disinfection segment though focused more on systems integration than OEM lamp supply.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Light Sources social profiles
Digital presenceLight Sources compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Light Sources financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Light Sources leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Light Sources subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries6 records
Light Sources funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Light Sources M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Light Sources
What does Light Sources do?
Light Sources Inc. (LightSources) is a global OEM designer and manufacturer of UV germicidal lamps and specialty light sources used in air, water, and surface disinfection systems. The company engineers low-pressure mercury, amalgam, medium-pressure, Far-UVC (222nm) excimer, and ozone-generating (185nm) UV lamps, alongside specialty fluorescent, UV curing, backlighting, tanning, and neon sign lighting products. It sells primarily through B2B direct OEM channels, supported by custom engineering, prototype development, and just-in-time manufacturing across North America, Europe, and Asia.
Is Light Sources a public or private company?
Light Sources is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Light Sources founded?
Light Sources was founded in 1983. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Light Sources based?
Light Sources is headquartered in Orange, United States, in the North America region.
How does Light Sources make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. UV Germicidal Lamps are the primary driver. The others are custom OEM Solutions, specialty Lamps and aftermarket/Replacement Lamps.
Who are Light Sources's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Xenex Disinfection Services, Atlantic Ultraviolet Corporation and UV-Guard (Heralux). Bolb Inc. is listed as an emerging player. Calgon Carbon (Kuraray) is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are Evoqua Water Technologies (Xylem), OSRAM (ams OSRAM), Halma plc (UV-Technik / Hanovia) and Philips (Signify). Severn Trent Services (UV disinfection) is listed as a regional player.
Does Light Sources have an API?
No public API is recorded for Light Sources.