Philips is a major supplier to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM), supplying most car makers with automotive bulbs, used for various applications – including head lighting, interior and signalling. Philips has the design, engineering and manufacturing expertise to deliver any technical type required by car makers, including for cars, motorcycles and truck applications. The range includes market leading products in halogen, xenon and LED technologies. And with specialised production facilities all over the world, production plants deliver hundreds of different types of bulbs and LED chips to cover every automotive lighting need.
OEM suppliers are required to adhere to some of the toughest regulations in the world. Philips not only ensures compliance with these regulations, but in addition, their own internal quality standards also exceed the strictest international standards. To achieve the highest quality bulbs, Philips have an ethos of “manufacturing excellence from A to Z”. That means at every step of production, packaging and delivery process, rigorous quality control is implemented. From the start of production to the moment a bulb is taken out of its packaging by a customer, Philips demand the very highest standards.
The result? A bulb that has the highest quality and consistently delivers the exceptional performance customers expect.
But manufacturing excellence is not just about quality products that customers can buy with confidence – it’s about road safety. Road safety is the primary consideration with manufacturing and testing decisions.
And safety matters to customers, which is why they like to buy quality bulbs they can trust. Based on the very strict quality requirements from the automotive industry, car bulbs are technically precise products. They are subject to close monitoring, starting from the first production step until delivery to the customer. Philips xenon and halogen bulbs are produced for both OEM and the aftermarket. Therefore, they wear the “Original Equipment Quality” seal. That means the aftermarket bulbs hanging on the store shelf are from the very same production line as the bulbs fitted into a new car.
Here are some examples of how Philips ensure quality:
1. Quality control during production: Philips halogen H7 quartz-glass bulbs
During production, every individual semi-finished part is carefully tested before it is transferred to the next step. For example, each halogen filament is carefully assessed before being sent to the next step in the process, the production of the halogen burner.
Before the bulb is completed, it will have run through 52 different measurements and tests (34 for the filament and burner production, and 18 for the finishing and final quality control). These tests include measurements of geometric, electric and pressure parameters, as well as checks for mechanical strength, controls with automated vision systems, and functional tests. Finally, the bulb goes through a final manual and visual inspection.
At every step in quality control testing, if the bulb is not fully compliant with Philips’ industry leading manufacturing standards, it will be removed from the production line. That is how every bulb’s quality is ensured and works as intended.
2. Randomised batch sampling before shipment to customers
Before bulbs are packed and shipped to customers, each individual batch – that is, bulbs produced in a single shift – will only be released if a random sample of its bulbs passes further rigorous testing. So every batch is subject to the testing of a random selection of its bulbs.
Each batch sample is tested on photometry and geometry to ensure compliance with ECE regulations, as well as even stricter internal specifications. Only if all tests are passed successfully, for all sample bulbs randomly pulled from the batch, will that batch be cleared to leave the factory.
3. Continuous quality monitoring
As well as rigorous production controls, and randomized batch sampling, a further sample of bulbs is taken from a batch to undergo life-time testing. This is to check that bulbs are successfully achieving their specified lifetime. For instance, halogen car bulbs are tested at a voltage of 13.2 V, with a continuous switching cycle of 11 hours and 45 minutes ON and 15 minutes OFF.
Furthermore, two times a year, up to 40 bulb samples pass through a complete internal test process. This includes photometry, geometry, lifetime, shock and vibration, climatic and salt spray tests, and several others tests unique to Philips bulb production specifications.
No matter what bulb you choose, all Philips headlight bulbs are manufactured with UV blocking quartz glass. The high performance burner with optimised gas pressure and composition generates more light on the road for excellent beam performance and durability compared to standard bulbs.
The UV-quartz glass optimises lighting performance and longevity with the highest levels of resistance to vibrations, explosions and temperature extremes. With an optimised filament and base, Philips bulbs use resistance technology to withstand even the strongest vibrations. All Philips bulbs bear the Original Equipment quality seal - certifying that Philips is the choice of all major motorcycle manufacturers
The end result of all these processes, is a high quality product that produces the best performance while delivering the quality that only an OEM brand can deliver. So next time, when you are choosing a bulb to fit to a customer’s vehicle, chose the brand who supplies to all the leading OEMs with the world’s best quality and has been doing so for over 100 years. Choose Philips
Philips Automotive bulbs can be purchased through a number of wholesalers such as Burson, Ashdown Ingram, NAPA Auto Parts, JAS & Baxters.
This article is brought to you by Mechanic.com.au Premier Community Partner Philips
