QUALITY AT JOHN CULLEN: BEYOND LIGHT PERFORMANCE

At John Cullen, quality goes beyond just the exceptional technical lighting we provide—high CRIs, outstanding outputs, and minimal glare to name but a few. These features, which we’ve previously highlighted, are just one part of our commitment to excellence. Equally important to the success of our projects projects is another type of quality – product quality. New Head of Product, Alexander Leck explains more…

In recent years, we’ve reinforced our commitment to product quality, both internally and externally, by developing a rigorous process to ensure consistency across both. Through collaboration with our trusted, audited network of partners, suppliers, and subcontract manufacturers, we have established a robust Quality Assurance framework built on three core pillars: compliance, testing, and inspection.

Compliance is determined by testing a product against the requirements of specific IEC standards. While manufacturers can self-assess compliance, we take a more thorough approach.

Testament to our commitment to product quality, each product within the John Cullen portfolio undergoes rigorous formal testing by an independent, accredited laboratory. Trained engineers use calibrated equipment to ensure accuracy of results that reflect real-world conditions. This rigorous approach ensures our products meet the highest standards – not just in theory, but in practice too.

For more on our testing process, check out our previous blog.

Quality assurance doesn’t end with compliance—it’s just the beginning. From this point onwards, our inspection processes ensure that the high standards set in compliance testing are maintained throughout volume production.

At the heart of our products are custom LED boards, made to precise specifications. Each board is tested twice before assembly, laying the groundwork for reliable and durable products.

For products made by our subcontracted manufacturers, they conduct flash testing during production to ensure proper functionality. Once these products arrive at our warehouses, we perform batch testing in line with the internationally recognized ISO 2859-1:1999 standard, with testing volume based on batch size.

Products assembled by our in-house team undergo individual testing at completion, meaning that every product is tested multiple times before it even reaches your site.

Our inspection checklists, developed in partnership with our manufacturers, ensure consistent quality control, regardless of where the product is made.

We use a combination of functional and visual checks to ensure the highest quality. Functional checks include things like physical dimensions and tilt adjustments, while visual checks assess beam quality, finish, and packaging. Our inspections are always compared against “golden samples” stored at both our facilities and with our manufacturing partners.

For us, quality isn’t just about meeting standards—it’s about delivering dependable, high-performance products that you can trust. This comprehensive approach is part of our ongoing commitment to improving both the quality of our products and the service we provide.

See the full range of exceptional luminaires here.