Dubai, UAE - Government initiatives to promote a more sustainable way of living through energy conservation and GCC's upbeat construction sector has created a strong interest in the region's fast-growing lighting market, especially for LEDs.

In the wake of this increasing demand for LEDs, Panasonic Marketing Middle East & Africa (PMMAF) launched its expansive line-up of 126 new models of LED luminaires for the Middle East & Africa region.

The Middle East Electricity Exhibition (MEE) 2015 is one of the world's largest power event covering all sectors of the power industry including lighting and was held at the Dubai World Trade Centre from March 02-04, 2015. The exhibition was attended by more than 1,200 international exhibitors from the power, lighting, new and renewable industries.

Announcing its debut within the LED lighting segment for the region, Panasonic's latest range of LED Luminaires are designed to suit the requirements of the residential, commercial, retail and hospitality segments.

Speaking at the press conference, announcing the launch of the LEDs, Takaki Oguri, Joint Managing Director-Anchor Electrical India & Director- Asia, Middle East & Africa Sales Region, Eco Solutions Company, Panasonic Corporation, said: "Panasonic has been in the lighting business for the past 60 years and driven by our commitment to innovation, we rank No. 3 in the global lighting industry. With the emphasis placed on sustainable living and energy conservation by governments in the region, we see a strong potential for our products in the Middle East. The region's robust residential and construction industry and the thriving retail and hospitality sectors are all set to benefit from our energy conserving LED Luminaires."

LEDs are the best solution for energy efficient living as they consume up to 90% less power than incandescent bulbs. Reports indicate that globally the forecasts for LED uptake in the residential segment will remain high, projecting almost 50% in 2016 and over 70% by 2020. Reports also indicate that the total LED market is expected to grow annually by 5% through to 2016 and by 3% thereafter until 2020. Rapid growth in LED penetration is also expected in hospitality, shop and outdoor-lighting applications.

During the press conference, Tatsuya Kumazawa, Director, Eco Solutions Division, Panasonic Marketing Middle East & Africa, commented, "The consumption of electricity in the MENA region is forecast to grow at a faster pace over the next decade, with investments worth more than US$200 billion set to be pumped into the region's power sector by 2020, according to a report. These coupled with the rapid infrastructure growth augurs well for the lighting business in the region. Tapping into this growth, we plan to create a strong foothold in the Middle East region. With this new range, we will offer cutting-edge, energy-saving lighting products to our customers. We are positive that with our new expansive range, we would effectively meet the growing needs of the lighting industry within the Middle East region."

In future, Panasonic is also considering increasing its product range for industrial and outdoor segments and also launch some new series within this segment like SmartArchi and PROiD. While the SmartArchi Series incorporates high-end architectural luminaires, the PROiD Series offers several options in integral-type LED base lights.

Yoshiyuki Kato, Director, Lighting Business Unit, Anchor Electrical India, commented, "Panasonic endeavors to deliver best-value-for-money options with unmatched quality and these new products are a reflection of Panasonic's commitment to offer innovative and sustainable products. With our new range comprising of LED down lights, LED base lights and LED spotlights, we intend to illuminate offices, stores and all types of commercial facilities in the region with better quality lighting products that will not only help address the challenge of energy consumption but would also maintain world-class quality and functioning that Panasonic is renowned for."

Panasonic showcased its extensive range of LED lighting solutions and other electrical solutions at the Middle East Electricity Exhibition 2015.

Continuing its ongoing efforts to create smart living spaces, Panasonic's new range of breakthrough energy-efficient lighting solutions, address the challenge of energy-conservation across the region.

The new LED Luminaires by Panasonic drive a robust synergy with Panasonic's existing wiring devices and electrical accessories, enabling it to capture the entire electrical solutions space.