LPA Group wins contract in France from SNCF

LPA Group PLC (“LPA” or “the Company”) is please to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Excil Electronics Limited (“LPA Excil”), has been awarded a £0.2m contract to supply Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français (“SNCF”), the National Railway of France, with LED down lights for the TGV East fleet. The TGV East fleet consists of 52 train sets of 11 cars per train set.

The TGV interior vestibule refurbishment, under which LPA Excil’s £0.2m contact has been awarded, includes new ceiling panels with an Internet WiFi Parabole in each car. Adopting LPA Excil’s LED lighting solution has increased the ceiling height available to accommodate the Internet WiFi Parabole and reduced maintenance costs. Other French regions are potentially interested in similar upgrades of their TGV fleets. 

Following eight months of trials, SNCF have also approved the LPA Excil halogen replacement LED down light for use in the interior of their popular AGC fleet of trains. The LPA Excil LED drop in halogen replacement unit enables SNCF to save 3000W of energy per train set per year and dramatically reduces maintenance costs. 

SNCF have entered into discussions with LPA Excil regarding plans to install LPA Excil’s LED drop in halogen replacement units on the existing fleet of approximately 1000 vehicles. Depending on configuration there are about 50 down lights per vehicle, constituting a potential demand of 50,000 down lights over the next few years. Further fleets of new AGC vehicles are planned generating further potential for the future.

LPA Excil has worked in partnership with SNCF to develop a new LED lighting scheme for their “Mooviter” regional train technology demonstrator. This train has been fitted with LPA Excil LED down lights. Mooviter was exhibited at Innotrans Berlin in September 2008, has featured on French national television and is currently under taking a “Tour de France” visiting and exhibiting in many towns and cities – lasting several months. LPA Excil’s involvement is acknowledged on the vehicle.

Peter Pollock, Group Chief Executive, comments:

“France is one of our target markets. We have supplied train builders in France with lighting and shore power supply equipment for vehicles exported to the UK and Singapore. This is the first time that we have succeeded in supplying the French domestic market. The acknowledgement of our technology and quality by SNCF, one of the world’s most rigorous train operators, is a huge endorsement and valuable reference .

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