The true value of a project is not always measured in $$$
For any SME, having a diverse range of projects both on the books and in the pipeline is critical to sustain business operations and enable future growth. The large projects such as full hotel lighting and FF&E packages may go a long way to covering annual costs, but they also take anywhere between 4 and 12 months to complete, meaning a more challenging financial planning process. These projects will always be the lifeblood of a company like Truelux but smaller, quicker, lower value projects are the ones that often enable the bigger projects, by keeping the bank balance ticking over. On top of this, when working on smaller projects, the scope can be much more varied which helps develop our core service skills, supplier networks and ability to successfully deliver different types of projects.
During 2020 we worked on several great examples of these types of projects which may not have generated huge revenue, but without a doubt generated substantial overall value to the company. From our first ever 2 Star Hotel (how this is only 2 start we have no idea), to a high end hair salon and a gastro pub, all these projects have given our team challenges and a set of requirements that have helped improve our overall offering as a company.
Super 8 by Wyndham.
This great little boutique hotel within the Deira Waterfront enhancement project was our first ever venture into the 2* market and we loved it. We worked closely with the client and designer to strike a great balance between meeting the restrictions of a 2* budget while ensuring great quality and design. The project forced us to explore new supplier opportunities and take on more in-house design work to keep costs down, the result is clear for everyone to see when they visit the hotel. Installing and handing over with no snags on any delivered product meant the quality was bang on first time
The Fold Salon.
The Fold was our first venture into the relatively niche market of salon lighting design and was a really enjoyable project to be a part of. Taking the overall concept from ID we developed the lighting layout and specification package, and then supplied all the lights to meet the client’s budget, while at all stages focusing on the core requirement of a salon to offer a true representation of colour to clients when dealing with their hair. Many LED lighting products do not offer the correct rendering levels to accurately highlight colour’s, and in a salon where a customer may be able to choose from several shades or tones of the same color this is really critical. We used specialist high CRI colour rendering lamps from Soraa to ensure this was achieved and the client was over the moon with the results.
How CRI can effect colours, lower CRI to the left, Soraa to the right.
Goose Island.
Goose Island, a new F&B concept arriving in Dubai, has involved Truelux using its procurement expertise to purchase a huge variety of lighting products from multiple specified sources. A key skill on this project has been to manage the exercise of placing orders from vendors around the world, both efficiently and accurately. This procurement process has required careful consideration in regards to logistics and associated costs, whilst also developing our supplier network and ensuring we stay ahead of the curve, with regards to important relationships both domestically and internationally. In some respects an order, or even 25 orders, may appear simple, however the devil is in the detail, with electrical standard to consider, a huge variety of finishes and materials, lamping schedules, dimming and then throw in some installation supervision for good measure. Having a significant project management element has helped to continue the development of a range of skill sets, skills that are extremely important to ensuring that we add huge value across many areas of a project.
Keep an eye on our socials and portfolio for similar projects coming up soon.