slp-lighting

How to Commemorate Memorial Day

Thu, 23 May 2024 14:30:00 GMT

While we all recognize Memorial Day as the unofficial start of summer, we have to remember what the day is really about: Memorial Day is a chance to honor those who gave their all for our country. Take some time this weekend to remember, reflect and express your gratitude. Here are some ways you can do so:

Introducing Creative Lumens Lighting

Tue, 20 Feb 2024 18:03:00 GMT

Thank You, Rick!!!

Tue, 20 Feb 2024 17:47:00 GMT

After more than 37 years, Rick McRight has decided to retire. Rick has helped supply SLP customers with quality lighting components both domestically and globally. During his career at SLP, his unprecedented work ethic and tenacious team-driven leadership have helped drive and shape the reliability and efficiency of SLP Distribution. All of us at SLP would like to thank Rick for his hard work and dedication. We wish him the best of luck and a Happy Retirement!

Congratulations Jeff!!

Mon, 29 Jan 2024 17:13:00 GMT

We would like to congratulate Jeff Gipson on his promotion to Distribution Manager.

For 29 years working under his predecessor Rick McRight, Jeff has worked to serve SLP customers with steadfast diligence and dedication.

With Jeff’s experience and strong work ethic, there is no doubt Jeff will help to ensure SLP customers receive the same high quality service and commitment to excellence.

Congratulations Jeff!

What You’ll See in New York

Wed, 10 May 2023 18:03:00 GMT

Here’s a quick look at some of what you’re going to see at SLP’s booth (#1139) during LightFair!!!

Who You’ll See in New York

Wed, 03 May 2023 14:45:00 GMT

It’s LightFair month!!! To kick things off, we thought it would be a good idea to introduce you to the SLP team members who will be at the show. Make sure you stop by booth #1139 to say hello!

John’s interests include collecting and making Christmas lights, vinyl records, working with old electronics and computers, and making various creative items. His passions are basically anything involving either light or sound, and playing video games! He can also quote almost any old funny movie you can think of! He is married and has three young children.

Craig Gravatte
Craig is one of our Regional Sales Managers. He’s in his 24th year with SLP. When he’s not on the road traveling his territory, you can usually find him with his golf group, The Ballwin Bandits, hacking it up on one of the many St. Louis courses. He can’t wait to see everyone in The Big Apple this year! If you have a chance, stop by Booth #1139 and say, “Hello!”

Sarah is a mother of three and a bonus mom to three more. She enjoys gardening and tending to her menagerie of chickens, horses, one dog and one cat. When not at SLP, you can typically find her either at a base/softball field, soccer field or volleyball court. She really enjoys spending time with her family, especially going to baseball games with them.

Rob Kloepple
Rob is SLP’s Engineering Manager. He has 15 years of experience in manufacturing operation management, and 18 years in engineering and new product development management.

Rob has a passion for disruptive technology, investing and the entrepreneurial spirit.

Rob enjoys fly fishing, rock climbing, hiking, scuba diving and fitness training. He is also a proud family man.

Outside of work, Lindsey enjoys playing pickleball with her (almost) husband. She loves to bake, paint, and travel with friends and family. She is excited to experience her first LightFair with our many industry veterans!

Charlie was born and raised in St. Louis and holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from St. Louis University. He is an avid pool player and has won pool league trips to Las Vegas for his skilled play. He is also an avid Cardinals fan. Charlie enjoys monitoring his investments and will joke that he only has approximately 6,730 days until his retirement.

Casey Philpot
Casey is SLP’s Manufacturing Engineer at our Sullivan location. He oversees our gear tray/board tray production as well as our wireguard production. Casey designs all custom wireguards that are requested by customers.

Casey graduated from UCM in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Tech and spent his first three years after school working in a final assembly plant where he learned more about mechanical processes and manufacturing procedures.

Casey grew up in Sullivan. In his free time, he likes to golf, hunt, play guitar and go on float trips.

Meaghan enjoys travelling, cooking, photography, painting, drawing, St. Louis sports and spending time with her family and friends. She also finds insurmountable joy in sneaking up on the Sales Team and annoying Craig Gravatte as much as possible.

Outside of work, Craig enjoys spending time with his family and performing volunteer activities. He volunteers at the local fire department as a fire fighter and EMT. He also teaches CPR courses to the department and community. He volunteers with the Maryland Defense Force where he will soon be appointed the Medical Training Officer for the state. For the past several years, with some unfortunate breaks, he volunteers at a work camp in West Virginia with his church community where he works with a team of up to 100 people repairing and rebuilding the homes of those in need in rural West Virginia.

Craig Traverson’s Highlights of 2022 Are…

Thu, 22 Dec 2022 21:24:00 GMT

2022 has been quite an interesting year. It is marked with several great memories, times and accomplishments:

Covid has been about change for me and has lead me to SLP who invited into their incredible family. I am honored to be here and look forward to many, many years together. I have worked as their customer for 11 years or so and now am glad to be called family. I look forward to the many exciting projects that we are working on and hope to interact with many of our customers over the coming months and years. I cannot say enough good things about SLP and the incredible people who work here.

Here’s to a happy and prosperous 2023! I hope that our paths will cross and good things will happen.

Be Well!

Sarah Kentner’s 2022 Highlights Are…

Thu, 22 Dec 2022 20:24:00 GMT

“The highlight of my 2022 (personally) are my kids. All three of them are doing really well in school and I could not be more proud of them and how well they’re doing.

As for 2022 (professionally), I am incredibly fortunate to have gotten and still have this job at SLP. SLP is an amazing company to work for and they will do whatever they can to see you grow and be as successful as you can be. It’s even better when you have amazing co-workers who make the workday go by faster.”

Walter’s Highlights of 2022 Are…

Wed, 14 Dec 2022 16:56:00 GMT

2022 has been the best year, by far, that I’ve experienced at SLP.

So many changes this year! So much work to do! It’s been absolutely frenetic; but, it’s been the good kind of frenzy if you know what I mean.

You can’t look anywhere around here and not see positive changes taking place.

As a QM you tend to see a lot of negative. Heck, it not a stretch to say people almost stand in line to bring you something bad, whether it’s defective parts or failed processes. It just comes with territory…obviously…always has. Kinda like watching the evening news every night. I stopped doing that years ago.

The result can be that keeping a positive outlook can be a battle if you don’t watch it.

Never has the battle been easier than it has in 2022. Everywhere you look around here there is evidence of positive change, “continuous improvement,” if you want to use ISO terms :-).

Work is fun again!

Meaghan’s Highlights of 2022 Are…

Thu, 08 Dec 2022 15:39:00 GMT

The highlight of my personal life in 2022 was all the traveling I did. I went to Las Vegas for the first time in June for LightFair, then went on a tour of Pennsylvania (another first time) and saw Pittsburgh, Scranton (yes I watch The Office ), and Philly…New Jersey a couple times…Kansas City and finally Kankakee, IL. I really enjoyed getting to explore each place I visit and can’t express how happy I was to see loved ones I hadn’t seen in years.

As far as the highlight of my year at SLP…it’s hard to pinpoint just one thing. I think it would have to be my position at this company as a whole. I thoroughly enjoy every aspect of my job from coordinating trade shows and sales meetings to photography and photo editing to designing things including booth walls, advertisements for magazines and graphics for our socials. I get the opportunity to work with everyone in every department and no two days are the same. I appreciate the challenges I face as well as the opportunity to collaborate with my colleagues. I’m incredibly fortunate to have the job that I do at SLP.

Craig Gravatte’s Highlights of 2022 Are….

Tue, 06 Dec 2022 16:36:00 GMT

Personally:

As a kid growing up in St. Louis I have always been a Cardinal Fan. So, my Best of 2022 has to be the St. Louis Cardinals.

Did we get another World Series trophy or make it very far in the playoffs? Sadly no, but what a year for this team and this city. There was magic in the air and a feeling around the city of World Series Dreams. With what has happened over the past few years in this world….I’ll take that memory/feeling and make it my best of 2022.

SLP:

Happy Holidays and have a GREAT 2023!!!!!

Thank You Charlie for the Citadel Value Series!

Fri, 18 Nov 2022 15:39:00 GMT

The newest addition to the Citadel family is the Citadel Value Series (CTVS), designed by Charlie Oldani. The Value Series has a similar look to the existing Citadel Narrow 4’ enclosure, but with the cost advantages of a polycarbonate housing, simplified latching clips and economical mounting brackets. These enclosures lend themselves well to a variety of applications such as:

The CTVS has familiar lens options such as clear or frosted, acrylic or polycarbonate; and, a choice of smooth or lineal ribbed lens styles. Certifications include IP65, IP66 and IP67. These versatile enclosures can be mounted in various ways direct to the ceiling, pendant (single or dual point), by Gripple® cable or chain using the bail option.

Charlie Oldani is one of our design engineers at SLP. His experience, creativity, and think-outside-the-box mentality help make the engineering team a valuable asset to SLP!

Thank You John for the Citadel Round!

Thu, 10 Nov 2022 15:54:00 GMT

John Campbell is one of our design engineers at SLP. His first-hand knowledge, experience and commitment to excellence helps make the engineering team a valuable asset to SLP!

LightFair is Going Biennial!?!

Thu, 03 Nov 2022 16:45:00 GMT

In case you’ve been living under a rock and missed the news, LightFair announced last week they are going biennial. We know everyone has their opinions on this. Here’s SLP’s….

In my opinion, having LightFair every other year is a great idea. I think every year was too much especially with all of the other regional shows that are popping up everywhere.

As for Lightfair going biennial:

I am excited that there should be a lot more product and new ideas since LightFair will be every other year but it is unfortunate that it will only be in NY. I really enjoyed having it on the East Coast one year and the West Coast the following year. I think we won’t have as many West Coast OEMs presenting because of this.

Rob Kloepple

Given this years turn out of low head count and minimal new products on display – moving LightFair biennial is a good idea as it provides more time for new products to be launched.

Our booth for LightFair is essentially a giant erector set, which can be modified to change the appearance and layout depending on how we plan on showing product. So, having to pull the booth from storage each year to come up with a design can become tedious. That said, with proof of the recent halt of the trade show during the pandemic, trying to remember how the booth and kiosks go together can be an emotional roller coaster. Maybe in the future, you will see SLP with just a giant blow-up bouncy pit with a couple kegs holding it down, but until then expect the springs of 2023 and 2025 to be highly stressful for me.

Why Does a Lens “Yellow” Over Time?

Wed, 21 Sep 2022 15:46:00 GMT

More often than not, a lens used in an environmental or physically harsh environment is made out of polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is derived from petroleum, and UV is causing that browning. To prolong this effect, UV stabilizers are added to the raw pellets that produce the parts for manufacturing. This UV stabilizer is not permanent and slowly goes away over time causing it to yellow. Acrylic is derived from natural gas, and is inert to UV and will not yellow.

…And Back Home Again

Wed, 31 Aug 2022 16:31:00 GMT

SLP’s headquarters are located in Fenton, MO (just outside of St. Louis). Here is where you’ll find 15 awesome people who make up our sales, customer service, engineering and marketing teams. It is also where you can find our testing facilities, including our world famous test farm! If you’re in the St. Louis area, make sure you come say hi!

To the Midwest

Wed, 24 Aug 2022 16:03:00 GMT

With over 50 employees working around the clock, the SLP Lighting Team in Sullivan, MO ensures your lighting components are always stocked and readily available.

From the East Coast

Wed, 17 Aug 2022 15:50:00 GMT

R&R Plastics in Passaic, New Jersey has been a partner with SLP Lighting for over 40 years. R&R Plastics was instrumental in the growth of SLP Lighting in the northeast region. It has been a great relationship.

SLP Lighting utilizes their warehouse for servicing the lighting OEMs and aftermarket customers.

Welcome Aboard, Craig!

Tue, 09 Aug 2022 14:38:00 GMT

Top 10 Reasons to Support Locally Owned Businesses

Wed, 27 Jul 2022 16:03:00 GMT

The above comes from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (www.ilsr.org), a national nonprofit organization working to strengthen independent businesses and local economies.

Viva Las Vegas!

Wed, 29 Jun 2022 16:25:00 GMT

We were thrilled to see things starting to return to normal after two years. As always, we greatly appreciated the opportunity to learn, network and see new product. There was so much to see and we are so happy we got to be part of it and experience it.

LightFair 2022 was successful for SLP. Our booth was often full and we were able to network with a lot of great people. We sincerely hope our customers, partners and all who attended experienced the same outcome. If you didn’t get a chance to stop by our booth, no worries! We will see you back in New York next May. We have some great ideas in store and we can’t wait for you all to see them.

We hope you all stay safe and healthy.

Sneak Peek at SLP’s Booth!!

Wed, 15 Jun 2022 15:58:00 GMT

Here’s a quick look at what you’re going to see at SLP’s booth (#1733) during LightFair!!!

Profile I Series: The new look of enclosures! A latchless, co-extruded gasketed enclosure, the Profile I offers easy assembly, smooth installation, familiar economical mounting options and more! It uses an innovative new gasket that lives up to SLP’s high quality standards and is Ideal for low bay areas that require linear LED enclosures such as garden centers, supermarkets, warehouses and subway areas. The Profile I is the first in a series of uniquely shaped enclosures from SLP Lighting!

There’s more…but you have to stop by Booth #1733 to see!

Guess Who’s Coming to LightFair!

Tue, 07 Jun 2022 20:39:00 GMT

With LightFair two weeks away, we thought now would be a good time to introduce you to the members of our team who you’ll see during the show!

David Koller became the Managing Director of SLP in 2002. He has a background in engineering and is very family oriented. Here’s what he had to say about the people at SLP, “I love the people I work with, they are a diverse group with a lot of knowledge and drive who like to have fun!”

Justin is the Plant Manager at our Sullivan location. He has been at SLP for six months and is very excited about attending LightFair!!! If you would like to see Justin, he will be at LightFair all three days (6/21 – 6/23). Outside of SLP, Justin is an avid fisherman who loves to travel and discover new places!

Steve is our Director of Sales. He has been working at SLP Lighting since 1985 (37 years) and has attended every LightFair since the inception in 1990, making that a total of 32 LightFair events. He has met a lot of good people over the years and has enjoyed many travel trips over the years including international travel. We look forward for you to stop by the SLP Booth #1733. We hope to see you there! Be safe. Be well.

Patrick has been with SLP Lighting for 32 years and even after all of these years, still look forward to Lightfair! Where else can you see all of the people from the lighting industry that you don’t get the pleasure to see on a regular basis? COVID has definitely had a negative impact on Lightfair over the last 3 years therefore he cannot wait to show everyone what new products we have developed during that time. Come by booth #1733 to see what’s new!!

Craig is a Regional Sales Manager with SLP Lighting. He’s in his 23 ^rd year with SLP and his first Lightfair was New York in 2007. He has only missed one Lightfair in all these years and it was New York last year. When he’s not on the road traveling his territory, you can usually find him with his golf group, The Ballwin Bandits, hacking it up on one of the many St. Louis courses. He can’t wait for Lightfair in “Sin City” this year and, if you have a chance, stop by Booth #1733 and say, “Hello!” COVID has kept many us apart wayyy too long!

Will is a Regional Sales Manager at SLP. He’s been part of SLP for 10 years. His first three years at SLP Lighting were in the IT department where he was one of the network administrators that maintained five different facilities. After leaving the IT department, he became the Regional Sales Manager for the West Coast where his territory includes every state west of Missouri as well as Canada and Mexico. Over the past 10 years, Will has developed an in-depth knowledge of SLP’s Citadel enclosures, louvers, lenses and eggcrates. One thing that he enjoys about his job is meeting new people and exchanging ideas to build a long lasting relationship. He will be at LightFair from June 16th through the 24th, please stop by and say hi!

Rob Kloepple

Rob is the Engineering Manager. Here is what he brings to SLP:

As far as Rob’s interests and passions go, He enjoys fly fishing, rock climbing, hiking 14ers, scuba diving, investing and fitness training. He is also a proud family man. Rob has a passion for disruptive technology, and the entrepreneurial spirit. He is the consummate manager and leader, and is liked by all who work with and deal with him.

John is one of SLP’s Design Engineer. He has been in the lighting industry for 17 years, designing lighting fixtures and components. John is a vital member of SLP’s engineering team, and is good for coming up with ideas and solutions on the fly. He also has a great knowledge of manufacturing processes. His background includes architectural and industrial lighting.

Charlie is another one of SLP’s Design Engineers. He brings 15 years of lighting experience to SLP’s team. He actually began his lighting career at Guth Lighting working under Rob Kloepple! Charlie is a valuable member of the SLP engineering team. He has a very thorough knowledge of SLP’s product line, as well as manufacturing equipment and capabilities, including additive manufacturing.

Meaghan Steele Swanson

Meaghan loves to travel. She also enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, photography, painting and drawing. She is currently learning calligraphy…it’s not going well. She and her husband have been married for six years, and they have one adopted dog, Piper!

SLP and…FOOD?!?

Wed, 18 May 2022 16:21:00 GMT

NSF ( National Sanitation Foundation ) International is a global independent organization that develops public health standards for products in the food, water, health science and consumer goods industries. When SLP designs a fixture component for possible application in the food industry, the component is submitted to NSF for evaluation and testing to the Food Equipment Certification standard. Typically, luminaires in this standard are tested for usage in Splash Zones ( areas exposed to routine soiling from splashes and spills, but are not surfaces intended for contact with consumable food ), as well as Nonfood Zones ( areas not exposed to food or splashes, but may be subject to minor dirt and debris ). Some key criteria that NSF focuses on are surface smoothness, cleanability, and corrosion resistance.

Among the SLP fixture component lines that are NSF certified are the Citadel Round, Citadel 4/4i/4s, Citadel 2/Narrow4’, as well as the Remote Box Enclosure.

NEMA 4X & SLP

Wed, 11 May 2022 17:22:00 GMT

A NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association) Certification is used for rating various grades of electrical enclosures. It defines the standard in which enclosures are certified to provide protection against environmental conditions such as dust, water, corrosion, oil or coolant.

What does this have to do with SLP? Well, many of our Citadel enclosures, such as the Citadel 2, Citadel 2 Narrow 4’, Citadel 4/4i, and Citadel 4s carry a NEMA 4X rating. What does this really mean? It means that these fixtures are rated for indoor or outdoor use primarily to provide a degree of protection against corrosion, windblown dust and rain, splashing water, hose directed water, and damage from external ice formation. In addition, SLP also offers a Remote Enclosure, rated for NEMA 4X and NEMA 13. NEMA 13 adds additional protection from oil and non-corrosive coolants. SLP takes enclosure protection seriously!

Why It’s Important to be UL Certified

Wed, 04 May 2022 16:39:00 GMT

SLP’s products begin with our own in-house testing on prototypes, and once validated, production samples are sent to a UL testing agency for UL Approval and Certification. In fact, every model in our Citadel line, as well as our other fixture lines, is UL approved and certified.

UL certification brings SLP’s products to market more efficiently, and differentiates them from others, by having certification from the safety science leader!

Click here to see all Citadel certifications!

Click here to learn more about UL!

Things are Heating Up in SLP’s Heat Test Chamber

Fri, 29 Apr 2022 13:55:00 GMT

Weathering the Weather

Wed, 06 Apr 2022 16:16:00 GMT

We at SLP pride ourselves on our in-house testing facilities. One of which is our Test Farm. It is located outside behind our plant in St. Louis and runs 24/7/365

The idea for the Test Farm originated back in 2004 to test the Citadel 2 against our competitors. Citadels are built to withstand the elements to the extreme; and what better way to prove that than by testing them against the real elements.

Now, in case you didn’t know, St. Louis is a place where you will wear flip flops and snow boots in the same week…sometimes in the same day. So, it is safe to say our components are put to the test against everything: sweltering heat, bone-chilling cold, winds, rain, ice, snow, sleet, hail and everything in between.

Watch the time lapse video below. It was captured over a three-day winter storm that hit the area. Note how our components go strong despite the cold, snow and ice!

Please note that our engineering team has the units wired to rotate power on and off throughout the day and night.

SLP’s Lucky Charm: Amy Sokeland

Wed, 30 Mar 2022 14:52:00 GMT

“Knowledgeable. Organized. Thorough. Helpful. Seasoned veteran. Those are some of the words colleagues used to describe Amy Sokeland. Amy’s 16-year tenure began in 2006 when she became the receptionist for Koller Enterprises. Her tenacious work ethic and ability to catch on quickly led her to the position of Inside Sales/Customer Service at SLP Lighting. In her 15 years with SLP, Amy has more than likely handled every single one of our customers in one way or another. Her knowledge of SLP’s products is extensive, and she is quick to lend a hand to any of her coworkers. Amy’s attention to detail is second to none and it expands beyond just work. She has received the Best Halloween Costume Award for the last 16 years, including this year when she was dressed as a “One Night Stand”. It is also worth noting that Amy is quite creative at wrapping gifts. She actually wraps my Christmas gifts because I am horrible at it! For these and many other reasons, we are lucky to have Amy Sokeland on the SLP team!”

As Luck Will Have It

Wed, 23 Mar 2022 15:01:00 GMT

“We are lucky to have Will Barron as a regional sales manager as he truly cares for his customers and fellow team members.

When he started with Koller Enterprises, he was part of the IT team where he gained knowledge with our Citrix system. When the sales position opened up on the SLP side, he looked at that new position as an opportunity to gain even more experience.

With that experience, he was able to bloom even more as he is always willing to assist with product. Whether it be the Citadel family, a louver or flat sheet, he’s willing to help and has spent a great deal of time over the years educating himself.

Lastly, we are lucky to have Will on our team as he is a military veteran of the United States Navy.

Thank you Will, for all of your dedication and service!

PS: We are especially lucky to have him because he always brings donuts!”

We Lucked Out When Rick Joined Our Team!

Wed, 16 Mar 2022 14:10:00 GMT

“As a customer, you may be used to receiving your orders from SLP; but, did you ever wonder how they got to you?

The answer is Rick McRight – SLP’s Shipping Manager and obviously the rest of his team too.

For 35 years, Rick has been in charge of getting SLP’s product to you in a timely fashion. Rick has dealt with hurricanes, floods and snowstorms throughout the US and abroad. Not to mention factory moves, expansions and increased volumes over the years. He ships domestically and internationally. I can’t even imagine dealing LTL, TL, prepaid/add, collect, air, 20’ or 40’ cubes, NAFTA, and all those freight classes!!! Rick has battled with the carriers when there is damage and found new carriers when others couldn’t deliver service. He’s gotten rush shipments out, even when shipping was having a bad day at SLP. Rick is just as much a part of customer service as any one of us who are on the ‘front lines’ at SLP. SLP wouldn’t know what to do without Rick McRight and the rest of his team. Now you know a little bit about him and what he does too! Thanks Rick!”

Why We’re Lucky to Have Our Engineering Team

Thu, 10 Mar 2022 18:21:00 GMT

“Engineers play a critical role in every product and gadget we use in our everyday lives. Our engineers at SLP are no exception. They work hard to design, plan and create new products to help expand our assortment and add variety for our customers.

Engineers help solve, fix and find solutions to problems using their vast knowledge in science, math and logic. So, from a customer service standpoint, our engineers are one of SLP’s biggest assets in dealing with customer issues that may arise. SLP’s Engineers are not only helpful in dealing with requests or problems that may come across our desks, but they also work directly with a customer to help develop and design products if need be. I, myself, feel lucky to have this group of engineers at SLP. They are always willing to go above and beyond to make sure we have all of the correct information to pass along to our customers.”

Features We Love: The Captive Plastic Latch

Thu, 24 Feb 2022 18:59:00 GMT

“My favorite SLP product is not so much a product, but rather a feature. When I began my tenure at SLP I was looking at an assembled Citadel 2 enclosure. As I had the fixture in my lap, I went to open up it up and a plastic latch shot off and hit me square on the nose. While shaking off the surprise nose flicking and mumbling to myself, “Now that’s a first,” IT HAPPENED AGAIN. I took the fixture that was now short two latches and walked into the sales office laughing. I asked if the way the latch jumped from the housing was normal or if I was just “SPECIAL”. After a good laugh at my expense, they proceeded to explain how the plastic latches could act like a spring when released because they did not have the same captive feature found on our stainless steel latches.

Within a couple hours, I had a new design for the plastic latch base, and in just a few short months we were selling all of our latches with the captive feature. Now are we the only company that has captive plastic latches? No; but, we were the first, and all it took was a good shot to my nose.”

Products We Love: Citadel 4

Wed, 16 Feb 2022 14:34:00 GMT

For the rest of the month, we will be featuring the products some of us at SLP love the most. Here’s what Craig Gravatte, our Regional Sales Manager, had to say about his favorite product, the Citadel 4:

“If I had to pick a product in SLP’s Line that represents my favorite, it would have to be Citadel 4.

It was 2007 and the lighting market was going crazy with fluorescent high bays. At the time, if you installed a high bay in a warehouse, the lamps and reflectors became dirty quickly because of dust. As a result, the original light output of the fixture was decreased. SLP was trying to go after the food industry, parking garages, etc., with our line of Citadel 2 enclosures and we were growing fast. With a market already devouring high bays, the idea was born to find out how big a high bay enclosure could be.

Many ideas went back and forth, and opinions were solicited until the final design came to fruition. In 2008, Citadel 4 was ready for launch. It only came with stainless steel components and had a fiberglass body like Citadel 2. The trays allowed for 4 or 6 lamp T5s or T8s and it had MIRO reflectors. All packaging was standardized for 10 units, and it had UL, NSF, IP certifications and more followed.

To be a young salesperson on this team was a once in a lifetime experience. Every OEM wanted it and they wanted it IMMEDIATELY! Once again, SLP designed it for the food industry, but the OEMs used the unit to applications SLP had never even thought of. It has now been 14 years since the launch of Citadel 4, and the lighting industry has grown and changed by leaps and bounds. As a result, all of SLP’s Citadels have been modified for LEDs. CT4i was developed as a more industrial version of Citadel 4. CT4s (2’) was developed, plus many other products too. However, it doesn’t take away my great memories of 2008 and the launch of Citadel 4. Those memories are why it’s my favorite SLP product.”

Welcome, Justin!

Wed, 26 Jan 2022 15:59:00 GMT

All of us at SLP are excited to welcome Justin Mueller as the new Plant Manager at our Sullivan location. Justin was most recently at BBC Industries and has his BS in Mechanical Engineering from Rolla.

Justin lives in Bourbon, MO and is married with three children. His oldest daughter and her husband just welcomed Justin’s first grandchild. Justin is an avid fisherman who loves spending time with his family, enjoys meeting new people, traveling and discovering new places.

Welcome aboard Justin! We are excited to have you!!

Thank You, Roger!

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 15:20:00 GMT

After 11 years, Roger Tebbe has decided to retire to be closer to his family. We are sad to see him leave as he has helped SLP grow over the last 11 years. He started at SLP when the first injection molding machines were being installed in Sullivan and led the installation of the laser cutter, router, mesh welder and turret presses. Thank you for all of your hard work, Roger!

Meet Our Engineering Team!

Wed, 12 Jan 2022 18:00:00 GMT

This week, we are featuring SLP’s talented engineering team!

Charlie was born and raised in St. Louis and holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from St. Louis University. He is an avid pool player and has won pool league trips to Las Vegas for his skilled play. He is also an avid Cardinals fan. Like Rob, Charlie enjoys monitoring his investments and will joke that he only has approximately 7,095 days until his retirement.

Charlie is a valuable member of the SLP engineering team. He has a very thorough knowledge of SLP’s product line, as well as manufacturing equipment and capabilities, including additive manufacturing.

Next up is Design Engineer John Campbell. John has been in the lighting industry for 17 years, designing lighting fixtures and components. His background includes architectural and industrial lighting.

John is a vital member of SLP’s engineering team, and is good for coming up with ideas and solutions on the fly. He also has a great knowledge of manufacturing processes.

Don has over 10 years in the lighting industry, working in both the architectural and industrial sides of lighting.

Don spends his time fishing, playing guitar in a classic rock band, and working on and enjoying his Arkansas vacation house with his wife. He is also an avid St. Louis Blues and Cardinals fan!

We are SLP

Thu, 06 Jan 2022 19:05:00 GMT

Early on, the metallized plastic louvers were produced under contract by a molder in Massachusetts. To control quality and costs, in 1978, SLP decided to bring the molding and metallizing in-house. A facility was built, and a deal was struck with the Massachusetts contractor to buy their metallizing equipment and expertise. Over the next 43 years, additional metallizing, molding and painting equipment were purchased; and, two major additions were built to keep up with the ever-growing demands of our customers.

Aluminum/Metal manufacturing started in 1984, when Koller Enterprises bought tooling, equipment and a license from Zumtobel in Austria to form Rokason. The first product made was the 1.25” aluminum louver. In time, additional tooling and equipment was purchased to include 1.5” and 3.0” aluminum louvers. SLP has since expanded the capabilities with turret presses, mesh welders, roll formers and press brakes to meet growing customer needs.

Knowing that the US represented only 20% of the world lighting market in the early 1990s, SLP decided to go international. A key part was played in 1994 when SLP UK was formed as a subsidiary in England. This allowed SLP to gain a solid foothold in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India and the Eastern Block while the US expanded into Southeast Asia, Australia, and Central and South America to become a major player in the global market.

Today SLP shows all over the world: Light+Building in Frankfurt, India Light Fair in Delhi, Middle East Show in Dubai, Indonesian Power in Jakarta, LightFair USA in New York/Las Vegas and the Intex Show in the USA.

Innovation

As the needs of our customers grew, SLP responded. T8 and T5 lamps were becoming more prevalent, and the industry was tired of the same old weatherproof enclosures, so SLP found and developed a new model with better performance: the Citadel 2. The Citadel 2 is still one of the fastest growing products and has become the industry standard for weatherproof enclosures.

SLP saw the growth of the T5 lamp in Europe and how the lamp was utilized. Most used aluminum louvers which are easily damaged and inconsistent due to the process. SLP decided to develop a product around the lamp which solved the problem of efficiency and durability: the Hi-Cell. Developed with 42 partners in the UK and utilizing our injection molding and metallizing capabilities and expertise, the highly efficient louver has an 80% Light Output Ratio (LOR) with a durable and highly repeatable finish.

The Citadel 4 was the next big addition. Many in the lighting industry needed the durability of the weatherproof enclosures with the light output of the fluorescent high bays at a competitive price. SLP worked hard to blend the two concepts into an IP rated enclosure that delivers the high light output while keeping the cost reasonable.

SLP recognized the significance and rapid growth of LED and followed a two-prong approach: modify the current product to work with LEDs and develop a new product for LEDs.

SLP has since developed three new products designed strictly around LEDs: CircLED, CT-Round and the Profile.

The CircLED is an innovative round fixture to use as an alternative to the heavy and cumbersome UFO fixtures in the market. The CircLED uses a lightweight, thermally conductive material to achieve superior light output and thermal characteristics at half the weight of the aluminum fixtures in the market.

The CT-Round continues the excellence of the Citadel family of vapor proof enclosures using a new patent pending design for securing the lens and the housing: the Pinsert.

The Profile offers customers a sleek and elegant design that can be used anywhere from offices to stores to industrial facilities. The Profile is a versatile design with many color options.

As a commitment to our customers, SLP continues to reinvest heavily in research and development along with the very latest technology in our plants, for a continued stream of new products, quality and cost control. This enables SLP to assist our customers in meeting the everyday challenges in an ever-changing global marketplace.

Constant Improvement

As part of the Koller Enterprises family, SLP continuously improves itself. We have grown our customer service, R&D, and manufacturing over the years. Our certified molding plant is always concentratingon our quality. Through constant lean projects and the ISO9001:2015 certification of our molding plant, we make sure that our costs are always fair and accurate with the high-quality products and service that our customers have come to know and rely upon.

#NationalTriviaDay Answer:

Best of 2021: SLP’s Pour-In-Place Gasket Machine

Wed, 22 Dec 2021 15:50:00 GMT

For this week’s “Best of 2021”, we highlight SLP’s Pour-in-Place (PIP) gasket machine.

SLP’s gaskets are the best in the industry, and it all starts with having a quality gasket machine. Our machine features a six-axis robot, allowing for precise agility, speed and long reach.

A pour-in-place gasket offers many advantages over a rope or glued-in type gasket, including:

The bottom line is SLP’s Pour-in-Place Gasket Machine creates a flawless seal to protect your vital electronics.

One last thought unrelated to our “Best of 2021” series, we want to take this opportunity to wish you and your loved ones a Very Merry Christmas.

Best of 2021: The Citadel Round

Wed, 15 Dec 2021 16:47:00 GMT

Continuing with our December theme of SLP’s “Best of 2021”, today we are focusing on the launch of the Citadel Round (CTR).

The Citadel Round actually launched in early 2020, right in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, it was difficult to make any initial traction with it due to the poor timing. As things improved in 2021, SLP decided to “re-launch” the CTR.

Like most Citadel enclosures, the CTR housing consists of UL 5VA fiberglass with an f1 rating. It also boasts IP (water ingress) protections of IP65, IP66, IP67 and IP69 due to its pour-in-place gasket. The CTR also has the same familiar clear and frosted acrylic and polycarbonate lens options.

LED boards for the Citadel Round are available from two companies we have partnered with to produce round format LED boards for this fixture: Fulham and LumaSmart.

For addition information, contact us or check out the Citadel Round on our website !

Best of 2021: The Citadel Value Series

Wed, 08 Dec 2021 14:42:00 GMT

For our December theme of SLP’s “Best of 2021”, we are first focusing on the launch of the Citadel Value Series (CTVS).

While having the look and feel of our familiar Citadel Narrow 4 footer, what sets the Value Series apart is:

Like our other Citadel Series, lens options include clear, FR50 frosted acrylic or polycarbonate.

The CTVS can also be utilized with an open bottom and wire guard, making it an option for UVC germicidal solutions.

Stay tuned as we continue the “Best of 2021” in the weeks ahead, focusing on other highlights of this past year!

The Best of 2021!

Thu, 02 Dec 2021 15:11:00 GMT

As we wind down the final month of what has been another crazy and challenging year, we would like to focus on some of SLP’s “Best of 2021”! Among the best of the best would be:

Stay tuned as we will go into more detail on each of these highlights in the coming weeks! For more information, contact us at sales@slplighting.com or 636-600-4084.

Giving Tuesday

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 17:34:00 GMT

On this Giving Tuesday, we are honored to recognize our continued support for the United Way. For those that don’t know, the United Way advances the common good in communities across the world. They fight for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community.

In what has become a fall tradition, Koller Enterprises and the St. Louis United Way team up to show our support for the United Way. Through a number of fun and exciting incentives, KEI employees can pledge any amount. We are thrilled to have been able to support the United Way after all these years and look forward to continuing to for years to come.

How SLP’s Engineering Team Can Help

Thu, 18 Nov 2021 16:28:00 GMT

As mentioned in last week’s blog, if you have a lighting project you are trying to get to market fast but are struggling due to limited engineering and/or budget resources, SLP can help!

Our engineering team, along with your dedicated SLP sales manager, will work closely with your team via real time web meeting and conferencing availability. We are here to assist in each phase of the design. SLP’s team will produce or work with your 3D CAD models as needed. With our in-house and external 3D capabilities, we can produce hands-on prototypes of design iterations to help quickly validate the overall design concept.

When you partner with SLP for Contract Manufacturing, you are working with a company who will leverage our years of technical background and skills to expedite your design efforts. SLP’s engineering team can share a vast knowledge of industry supplier info, as we stay current with emerging technologies in LEDs, thermally conductive plastics, etc.

For more information on our contract manufacturing capabilities, contact SLP at sales@slplighting.com or (636) 600-4084 . Also, stay tuned for more discussion on how SLP Contract Manufacturing can help your company in our blogs this month!

Happy National Entrepreneurs Day!

Tue, 16 Nov 2021 17:16:00 GMT

SLP & Contract Manufacturing

Wed, 10 Nov 2021 17:24:00 GMT

We can help get you to market quicker as our engineering team can work closely with your team, and offer simple, effective solutions.

Email sales@slplighting.com to get more information on our contract manufacturing capabilities! We will also be going into more detail on this topic in our blogs this month!

One last thing…make sure you check us out on Manufacturing Marvels here !

Live From New York, It’s SLP!

Thu, 04 Nov 2021 15:21:00 GMT

LightFair 2021 was successful for SLP, and we hope our customers, partners and all who attended experienced the same outcome. If you didn’t get a chance to stop by our booth, no worries! We will see you in Las Vegas in June!

I Want to Be a Part of It…New York, New York!

Wed, 20 Oct 2021 17:51:00 GMT

LightFair is just ONE. WEEK. AWAY! All of us at SLP are ready to go and so excited to see everyone. Make sure you stop by booth #1928 and say hello!

We’ll see you all next week!

How About That for Fabrication

Wed, 29 Sep 2021 16:13:00 GMT

Between our Laser Cutter, Router, Saws and other fabrication techniques, we can meet any of your needs.

The Router can cut sheet up to 60 x 120 and up to 1/4″ Acrylic or 3/8” Polycarbonate.

The Laser Cutter can cut sheet up to 52 x 100 and up to 3/8” Acrylic/Styrene/Fiberglass.

SLP Lighting: More Than Just Plastic Components

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 16:17:00 GMT

SLP does more than just plastic components. Our metals department can handle a variety of products. Using our Turret presses, press brakes, roll formers and mesh welders, we can make the components you need.

Thank You, Don!!!

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 15:59:00 GMT

Don plans to spend his newfound time in retirement with his ever evolving family, fishing at his newly remodeled home in Arkansas, playing guitar in his band and craft beer tasting.

Don will always have the fondest memories of SLP and Koller Enterprises. He considers himself fortunate to have Rob Kloepple as his boss and work for a family like the Kollers.

Thank you Don for six great years of work! We will miss you!!

Contract Manufacturing – Molding

Wed, 08 Sep 2021 14:42:00 GMT

We have 28 presses in our Fenton and Sullivan facilities, ranging from 88 to 2,200 tons giving us the ability to run small, precision, multicavity parts weighing less than 1 gram, up to large components, that weigh 22 pounds or are eight feet in length. This range of machine size gives us the capability to make all the components for an assembly and make sure the fit and function are correct before you receive them on your assembly line or in your warehouse. Our injection molding plant in Gadsden, Alabama gives us an additional 29 presses expanding our capability and capacity. We have experience running many commodity thermoplastic materials such as Acrylic, PC, PE, PP, PES and PPO. Process control is used to optimize our molding processes, and robotics is used for part handling and assembly.

Countdown to LightFair (53 Days)

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 16:14:00 GMT

We’ve made our hotel reservations, we’re booking our flights and finalizing our booth design in preparation for LightFair 2021! We are so excited to see everyone after a yearlong hiatus and the whirlwind that was 2020. Be sure to stop by and say hello to us when you’re there! We are at booth #1928!

We’ll see you in The Big Apple!

OEM Engineering Design Support

Fri, 20 Aug 2021 19:13:00 GMT

Our design team will work closely with your team to provide design-in support using SolidWorks software, along with our vast knowledge base in lighting. We can assist in the prototyping, heat testing, UL and IP testing, as well as goniometer testing, to validate that your designs meet your specifications.

We have established a solid customer base over the years, through LED engine design-in and validation support for our Citadel enclosure lines.

SLP Lighting invites you to take a closer look and learn how we can better help serve your business needs.

Putting Product to the Test

Wed, 18 Aug 2021 14:30:00 GMT

Water testing is also performed in a dedicated area in our lab, and helps us verify or “dial in” the level of water ingress protection (IP level) we are designing a specific product for. These products often are gasketed with our own pour-in-place gasketing system. Typical water tests we run in our water booth are IPx5, IPx6, and UL50 NEMA. Additional water testing done outside of our booth include IPx7 and IPx9.

Using the Inverse Square Law to Our Advantage

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 15:13:00 GMT

Supporting Our Customers with Prototyping

Wed, 04 Aug 2021 16:38:00 GMT

Besides these prototyping capabilities, SLP can also cut and form metal in-house, as well as cut various plastic sheet with a laser cutter and/or CNC router. SLP is here to support your new product development/prototyping needs!

Thank You, Steve!

Wed, 28 Jul 2021 14:18:00 GMT

Quick Decision: Acrylic or Polycarbonate Lens?

Wed, 21 Jul 2021 16:57:00 GMT

Quickly decide whether you should use acrylic or polycarbonate lenses with these questions:

Q. Is the application a lower or higher temperature?
A. Use polycarbonate. Not only can polycarbonate be used in a higher ambient setting, but it is also a must in extremely cold applications. Acrylic uses an impact modifier additive to bond together its crystalline structure. This additive has a freezing point where it becomes ineffective.

Q. Is the application in a chemical environment?
A. Use acrylic. The reason starts with the materials polycarbonate and acrylic are derived from. Polycarbonate is petroleum based and is more susceptible to a wide range of chemicals and oil. Acrylic is derived from natural gas, which is inert. This helps protect from a lot of environments that polycarbonates typically break down. SLP has plenty of chemical charts to help you further decide what material is best, but just remember this baseline: Polycarbonate is from petroleum and acrylic is from natural gas.

Partner Spotlight: Fulham Illuminations

Wed, 14 Jul 2021 14:15:00 GMT

SLP Lighting is proud to be part of Fulham’s “ Powered by Fulham ” program. This program is a co-marketing and website SEO-boosting initiative through which OEM luminaire manufacturers opt to publicize the use of Fulham’s components within their items. Fulham reciprocally promotes participants with mentions across LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and more!

For more information on Fulham, visit their website at https://www.fulham.com .

Made in USA is the Best Way!

Tue, 06 Jul 2021 14:53:00 GMT

All of us at SLP hope you had a great 4 ^th of July weekend! In continuing the celebration of America’s birthday, we thought now would be a great time to reflect on why everyone should buy American made products.

As we have previously stated, the United States continues to be a manufacturing powerhouse and SLP Lighting is proud to be a part of that business. In fact, our Citadel enclosures are made in the US, and they are second to none. Here are the top reasons you should by American made products.

In addition to the reasons we just provided, we want to hear from you! Why is it important to you to buy American made products? Post your answers in the comment section below!

SLP Lighting is a leading, Made in America, component supplier to the lighting industry, electrical aftermarket, acoustical and plastic houses amongst other markets. We have two manufacturing facilities centrally located in the St. Louis, Missouri region along with a warehouse in New Jersey. Both manufacturing facilities are ISO 9001:2015 certified. SLP Lighting’s Capabilities and Services .

Round Boards & Photometrics

Fri, 02 Jul 2021 13:48:00 GMT

For more information on these LED boards, including photometric reports, click on one of the links below or contact SLP at sales@slplighting.com !

Helpful Resources:

CircLED™ Configurations

Tue, 29 Jun 2021 19:38:00 GMT

IK Testing

Thu, 20 May 2021 16:57:00 GMT

As a commitment to our customers, SLP continues to invest heavily in research and development, along with having the very latest technology in our plants. Our products begin with our own in-house testing on prototypes and samples to ensure they will be certified to the markets standards.

Damage to enclosures may impair the proper functioning of installed equipment (e.g., machine control systems) or, in the worst case, even render it inoperative. In addition to IP protection (protection against dust, contact and water), enclosures must also have adequate protection against external mechanical impacts.

The relevant protection category that specifies an enclosure’s resistance to impacts and shocks is the IK code. The IK code classification is established using a standardized testing method in line with IEC 62262.

Click to review SLP’s IK Testing information!

Click on the play button below to watch one of our in-house IK tests.

SLP Lighting on Manufacturing Marvels

Wed, 12 May 2021 13:29:00 GMT

Frosted vs Clear Lenses

Tue, 11 May 2021 13:10:00 GMT

Q: What are the advantages of the Clear Lens?

Q: What are the advantages of the Frosted Lens?

Q: What applications do each lens fit best in?

Put simply LED tubes for clear lens vs. LED boards for FR50 Lens.

Photometrics on Citadel Lenses

Citadel Lenses: Which One Works Best for You?

Wed, 05 May 2021 15:40:00 GMT

SLP Lighting provides a full range of enclosure lenses to work with your applications. From deep to shallow, from optically clear to FR50 frosted to block LEDs we have all the options.

Here is a matrix to show all the Lens options for the entire Citadel line.

Download PDF

Looking for a CAD File?

Tue, 27 Apr 2021 13:44:00 GMT

Requesting a CAD file? A drawing is not a model, and a model is not a drawing.

More often than not, most customers have 3D modeling capabilities, and when parts or assemblies are requested, SLP has a large library of components and assemblies to share as either a “STEP” or “Parasolid” file for 3D CAD use. These CAD models allow you to add modifications to the part such as adding holes in housings or sheet metal components for custom quotes. These models give the customer’s engineering teams complete freedom to create customized drawings or assemblies for their manufacturing or marketing needs.

Drawings come only as PDFs. Whether it is a line-drawing of assembled fixtures, or dimensioned parts, these drawings come as-is, and are typically dumbed-down in terms of dimensional detail.

SLP Items that Meet IP69!

Mon, 26 Apr 2021 15:32:00 GMT

What Does IP69 Mean?

The IP Code, International Protection Code , sometimes also interpreted as Ingress Protection Rating, classifies and rates the degree of protection provided against the intrusion of dust, and water in electrical enclosures.

IP69 means complete protection against contact dust and protection against the effects of high pressure and high temperature water jets.

What SLP Units Meet IP69?

Why is IP69 Important?

IP69 testing is for equipment, like control panels or electrical equipment that is installed in areas that get washed with high pressure hot water. Such as pharmaceutical manufacturing, industrial food packaging and more.

You may have heard of IP69K, and wonder what is the difference. IP69K is for equipment installed on road vehicles. The IP69K testing is meant to validate that the equipment installed in road vehicles can with stand very severe wash-downs with pressure washers.

We are more than just SLP. . .

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 12:57:00 GMT

SLP has the advantage of having several sister companies that lend their expertise and knowledge to the SLP resources.

Koller Craft Plastics
Since 1941, KCPP has been custom molding for various Markets: Automotive, Industrial, packaging etc. KCPP offers the “start to finish” projects. KCPP will work with customer to design the tools and then run them. KCPP has experience with a wide variety of thermoplastics such as: PE, PP, PES, PC and PPO.
KCPP can perform engineering, assembly, decorating, metalizing, gas assist, insert/overmolding, prototyping. With ISO 9001:2015: We mold quality and customer satisfaction into every part.
Koller Craft has two locations:
Located in Fenton, MO with 22 presses ranging from 88 to 2200 tons, the ability to run precision, multi-cavity parts ranging anywhere from 1 gram to 22 pounds
Koller South
Located in Gadsden, AL, Koller South specializes in injection molding and secondary electro mechanical/mechanical assembly. With 33 injection molding machines ranging from 80 to 1500 tons, Koller South can fulfill your custom molding needs.

Churchill Containers
Churchill Container designs and produces rigid plastic cups and containers for clients who value branded package design as a marketing tool. Since 1980, Churchill has been helping promote brands and increase revenue with programs designed to drive repeat business. Churchill’s killer in-house art department is the best in the business and the single mid-west production facility enables Churchill to provide consistent quality control and tracking of orders. Offering an incredible array of options to raise the perceived value of any food or beverage product. SQF level 2 certification and full authorization to produce and distribute to Coca-Cola facilities.

Learn About Koller Enterprises

Support Manufacturers in the USA

Tue, 13 Apr 2021 15:39:00 GMT

The United States is still a manufacturing powerhouse and SLP Lighting is proud to be a part of that business. Here are three reasons to support US Manufacturers.

SLP Lighting has been a US manufacturer of lighting components since 1969. Our engineering team has continuously followed the lamp source from T12 to T8 to T5 to LEDs. Plus, investing in R&D to understand how we can best support UV technology in today’s germicidal applications. We offer full service custom plastic injection molding, providing part production, sorting, assembly, packaging and bulk shipping. We can start production of parts with your existing tooling or we can help turn your ideas into reality.

As a part of Koller Enterprises, Inc. , we can injection mold parts anywhere from a few grams up to 11 KG. Between 3 facilities SLP has access to over 60 injection molding machines ranging from 80 tons to 2500 tons. All of our facilities are ISO certified guaranteeing you the highest quality.

Let SLP be your Lighting Solutions Partner!

Did You Know that SLP Has Not 1 but 2 Stocking Warehouses?

Tue, 06 Apr 2021 14:25:00 GMT

Did you know that SLP Lighting has not 1 but 3 stocking warehouses?

Why is this beneficial?

Quickly tell if a lens is Acrylic or Polycarbonate.

Mon, 29 Mar 2021 18:46:00 GMT

Quickly tell if a lens is Acrylic or Polycarbonate.

The fastest way to identify the material of an SLP lens is to look for an “A” for acrylic or a “P” for polycarbonate identifier on the ends of the lens. SLP Lighting is a custom molder so we used our capabilities and to mold in the letter identifiers to our enclosure lenses.

Some lenses may only be made out of one material and not have this identifier, sometimes the color of the frosted material or dirt can make reading the marker difficult. When you find yourself in this situation and your needing to quickly identify a lens, try this little trick.

Flick the lens. Acrylic will have a “thud” sound and polycarbonate will have a “ting” sound.

The New Pinsert System

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 15:30:00 GMT

For the New Citadel Round fixture it was decided to have a latch less system and went through many iterations. We ultimately ended up with the new patented Pinsert System.

The Pinsert latching system is captive to the lens and is hidden into the housing making it a very sleek industrial look that still allows the led board and drivers to be accessible. These can be removed with a small flat blade screw driver.

Made out of the same material as our current latches, these provide the same strength and ratings as with our standard latches.

With the sleek look still allows the fixture to pass all the same tests as the other citadels within the family that you have come to love.

High Quality Gaskets for Lighting Fixtures

Wed, 10 Mar 2021 17:39:00 GMT

There are two major factors when you think about high quality gaskets for lighting fixtures: the application process and the gasket itself.

Remember trying to caulk around the edge of a bathtub, you know how difficult it is to produce a smooth, even bead that seals well. You need a steady hand, even pressure on the trigger and constant tube speed. In the end, you need the help of a Popsicle stick, putty knife or the ever-practical finger.

Now imagine trying to lay a bead of gasket in the channel of a light fixture. The height, width and location of the gasket must be very accurate. If not enough, too much or if it’s applied in the wrong spot, you’ll get a poor seal.

Popsicle sticks are not an option. This is a job for a six-axis robot. With their agility, speed and long reach, six-axis robots are ideal for dispensing gaskets for varying shapes and sizes like our CT2 housings with tight corners or our CT-Round with its circular shape. A six-axis robot can apply a continuous gasket to confined and rolling areas.

Flexibility is a big advantage of using six-axis robots for dispensing. The one or two additional axes of motion enable the robot to handle any part geometry that may be around the corner.

The quality of the gasket material is important factor. Our gaskets have the following:

These two important elements make our gaskets the best in the industry.

Introducing the Citadel Round

Thu, 04 Mar 2021 16:50:00 GMT

SLP is excited to share with you one of our newest products, the Citadel Round . This low bay is a combination of the Citadel Enclosures line’s best features in a smaller ROUND unit for tight areas that need LED light. It would look great in an industrial or architectural environment.

It is an 18″ round 5VA fiberglass housing with an option of a clear, frosted, polycarbonate or acrylic drop lens complete at 6″ tall. It uses our Pinsert design system which gives it a clean sleek look without a bulky latches. See Details in the Brochure

Inside are some of the same components as our CT2 line like a retainer clips, screws, our DAR plate and DAR Clips. It and utilizes a round boardtray for a 13 inch LED board and can produce 100 watts and around 14,000 lumens.

As far as ratings this unit is tough! It is IP65, IP66, IP67, IPX9 and NSF. Testing Videos & Photometrics available

It also comes with some great mounting options such as the new Stainless steel SLP hook, pendant mount with the SLP hub, Direct ceiling mount bracket or a Direct J-box mount(pre-drilled housing with gasket).

Contact SLP today for more details!

Features & Benefits of SLP Boardtrays

Tue, 23 Feb 2021 15:51:00 GMT

The SLP Citadel 2 series offers many different board trays in 2’ 4’ and 8’ lengths. We have designed a NEW Universal BTGT Tray to accommodate LED Zhaga compliant boards for 1.6”, .94” and .79” widths. In addition, the BTGT board tray design will accommodate LED tubes for T5 and T8 lamps.

The SLP BTGT tray offers a safety strap and slots to secure the tray on the stainless steel retainer clip for future maintenance.

There are two retainer clips in both a narrow and wide configuration. The narrow is for a dual row of LED boards while the wide retainer clip is for a single row of LED boards.

In addition, SLP offers custom trays to meet your requirements for LED boards. Contact SLP today to design and manufacture a boardtray specific to your fixture needs.

Steel versus Aluminum Board Trays for Vaportites

Thu, 18 Feb 2021 18:28:00 GMT

For thermal design-in, aluminum is often preferred over steel because of its higher thermal conductivity, although for most applications steel is likely to be adequate.

Using an aluminum board tray of sufficient thickness inside a closed system like a vaportite enclosure, we notice conduction often exceeds convection with an inefficient heat transfer rate for the system.

To achieve efficient transfer of heat into the air, conductivity of a board tray material inside a closed system must come close to the convection airflow over the vaportite enclosure.

The selection of the LED board tray material thickness and type for rate of heat transfer within a closed system is important for effective cooling and efficient transfer of LED module heat to the outside air from the board tray within a closed system.

SLP Lightings Citadel enclosure LED board trays are designed with 0.020” steel versus aluminum for mid-power LED design-in applications for best overall cost and system thermal performance.

Learn more about the new Universal Boardtray/Geartray Combo from SLP

LED Modules for the Citadel Round!

Thu, 18 Feb 2021 17:49:00 GMT

LED MO DULES FOR THE CITADEL ROUND!

SLP Lighting has teamed up with some LED Board suppliers to produce a 13″ round Module for the Citadel Round!

Contacts for these Round LED Modules

Turret Press – SLP Capabilities

Thu, 11 Feb 2021 14:58:00 GMT

Punching holes in sheets of metal is a tough job, especially if that metal is thick and sturdy. To form custom board and gear trays, a turret press is indispensable. These heavy-duty machines are used for metal shaping and forming. They force a “punch” through the metal, creating holes in a carefully planned formation. Without turret presses, the mass production of metal trays would become vastly more complicated and time consuming.

Our presses are great at blanking out metal trays, especially when special patterns are needed. Knock outs, dimples, slots, lances, and other unique forms and patterns are a cinch. Plus, our turrets accept large sheets (up to 60″ x 120″ sheets), and they can hold up to 30 turret tools.

The turret is the rotating repository that holds the tools, which are relatively small and light. They require more punches than heavier tool presses, but they are also faster and can achieve 400 strokes per minute.

If you need a company that can manufacture custom metal trays on your behalf, check out SLP Lighting. Manufacturing metal trays is one of our specialties.

How to know your components are built tough!

Tue, 09 Feb 2021 18:29:00 GMT

Check out the updates to our Testing Farm.

Here is some background about the farm.
Located outside our facility in Fenton, MO just outside St. Louis where the summers are hot and the winters are cold. Rain, wind, snow and ice are all experienced in big and small doses. On the farm are SLP’s Citadel Enclosures that are built to withstand the elements to the extreme and what better way to prove that than to test it in the real elements. There is also a CircLED, Remote Box and some other items have come and gone. Most have withstood the test of time, but a few did degrade after many years. The SLP engineering team has the units wired to rotate power on and off throughout the day and night.

The idea of the test farm originated back in 2004 to test our newest product the Citadel 2 against our competitors. This idea has since transferred from our company location at Adie Road in St. Louis the Fenton Facility.

Original 2004

It has transformed from setting to setting. Been rebuilt a few times, but the fixtures continue to beat the odds.

Why buy the BTGT tray for your enclosure

Tue, 02 Feb 2021 20:14:00 GMT

So you are wondering what is so great about the new SLP BTGT trays for the Citadel 2 Enclosure.

Well if you are using LED boards it works, and if you are using LED tubes it works, even if you are still using fluorescent bulbs it works.

This Economical Boardtray is the solution for the Citadel 2 Enclosures in LED Applications. These trays are roll formed which reduces the cost from typical turret presses due to speed of manufacturing.

Available in 2′, 4′ and 8′ lengths

Remove old trays and old SKU’s. Eliminate the inventory headache from multiple parts down to one part that works for all the configurations fo the Citadel 2.

If you’re using this. . .

And using these. . .

and/or also using this one

Then it’s time to switch to ONE Tray that works for all your needs.

It’s time to switch to this!

Universal Boardtray/Geartray for LED Applications

SLP’s Solution for UVC Germicidal Fixtures

Wed, 13 Jan 2021 19:37:00 GMT

The Citadel Value Series (CTVS) is one of SLP’s latest product launches, and following suit of our Citadel product line, is a great economical, vapor tight solution for a linear LED engine. With the Covid pandemic, there has become a growing push from lighting manufacturers for UVC germicidal fixtures. The CTVS lends itself well to this, as it can accommodate UVC T5 and T8 tubes, as well as new LED UVC linear boards, as an open-bottom fixture. An optional Wireguard can be easy installed onto the fixture housing to protect the boards or tubes. The CTVS accommodates the ballast or drivers needed for these types of fixtures, or, they could be installed into SLP’s Remote Box Enclosure (RB), along with reverse occupancy sensors and controls. The Remote Box Enclosure is NEMA 4X and 13 listed, is IEC IP66 and IP69 rated, and has ample KOs for conduit, sensor, Ethernet, and battery pack usage.

*SLP does not sell electrical components.

SLP Lighting a Year in Review

Thu, 17 Dec 2020 17:12:00 GMT

Hasn’t the year of 2020 felt like we have been trapped in a board game. Each month you roll the dice to see what obstacles you will need to climb over, under or through to get to the next month. Companies have lost and changed. We all found ourselves on the same playing field working at home with kids, pets and other distractions, connection issues and more. Our trips are now zoom meetings and our gatherings are minimized to a few spaced 6′ apart. When you make a little progress you land on a the mark to “move back 2 spaces” and roll again.

Even with all that we have been challenged with we have overcome! SLP wants to take the time to thank our customers for their continued support of our organization. 2020 was a year full of challenges and adventures for us all, but it is customers like you who have made our job a pleasure over the last year!

We wish you and your families health and happiness during this holiday season and may your New Year be filled with joy and success.

-SLP Lighting

Citadel Value Series Wireguard Option for UVC

Mon, 30 Nov 2020 17:45:00 GMT

Use our standard Citadel Mounting brackets to mount direct to ceiling, cable hang with our CT-Bail and Gripple cable, or Narrow mounting bracket for threaded rod pendant hang.

Perfect for applications that need open bottom LED or UVC lighting. Target areas would be high touch spots, kitchens, bathrooms, offices, schools, retail and more.

Meet the Director of Sales at SLP Lighting

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 15:44:00 GMT

Steve Blake is the Director of Sales at SLP Lighting

Steve has been with SLP since April of 1985, he has experience in engineering and many years of sales before becoming the Director.

Q&A:

What do you like most about your job?
Meeting new people

What is your biggest success since starting at SLP Lighting?
Being a pioneer and instrumental in taking the company international

Which SLP Product is your favorite and why?
The Citadel 4. Most customers loved the new multi lamp enclosure and I really enjoyed presenting it as a new product.

SLP Lighting Capabilities

Wed, 04 Nov 2020 16:56:00 GMT

Citadel Round

Mon, 02 Nov 2020 17:43:00 GMT

Introducing the Profile I Monochrome Series

Mon, 19 Oct 2020 16:31:00 GMT

A Darker Feel

Match up the black endcaps with a new Black Polycarbonate Hosing for a more uniform look that blend into a dark ceiling.

The Flipside

The Full Frosted Polycarbonate housing with white endcaps really brightens up the line to complete the series.

Mix and Match Housing and Endcap Options to create the look you want.

Contract Manufacturing & Molding

Mon, 12 Oct 2020 18:33:00 GMT

World class custom molding since 1941.

SLP Lighting offers full service custom plastic injection molding, providing part production, sorting, assembly, packaging and bulk shipping. We can start immediate production of parts with your existing tooling or we can help turn your ideas into reality.

SLP, as a part of Koller Enterprises, has been molding for over 75 years. We can injection mold parts anywhere from a few grams up to 11 KG. Between our three facilities, we have over 60 injection molding machines ranging from 80 tons to 2,500 tons.

Our very talented engineering team will help you design your part and run 3D printed parts to make sure that part meets your qualifications. We will then help you source, purchase and test your mold to make sure you are totally satisfied with your design.

All of our facilities are ISO certified guaranteeing you the highest quality.

Let SLP be your Lighting Solutions Partner.

Introducing The Citadel Value Series

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 19:01:00 GMT

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What are the best features of the Citadel Line?

Sat, 19 Sep 2020 00:45:00 GMT

SLP’s Citadel line offers comprehensive set of enclosures to fit all your needs. All Citadels are F1 rated for outdoor suitability. They also carry UL and NSF & NEMA certifications on all components. All Citadels have also passed o IP65, IP66 & IP67 testing. When you factor this in with high quality injection molded lenses in both acrylic and polycarb plastics and great features, such as, captive latches, guardian seals and SLP’s Made in the USA at our plant in Sullivan, MO, you can’t go wrong by choosing SLP Citadels.

Need we say more. . . .

Check out our Citadel Line!

Conduit vs cord grip – Why installation is so important

Tue, 01 Sep 2020 08:30:00 GMT

Conduit:

Cord Grip:

Why Is the Gasket So Important on Your Enclosure?

Fri, 07 Aug 2020 13:47:00 GMT

A Pour-In-Place (PIP) gasket has many advantage over a rope/glue-in gasket.

SLP’s In-House Pour-In-Place Gasket Machine creates a flawless seal to protect your vital electronics.