Cree Lighting
ActiveOverview
Cree Lighting is a US-based manufacturer of LED lighting solutions for indoor, outdoor, and smart applications, serving sectors such as offices, industrial buildings, education, healthcare, and municipalities. It focuses on advanced optical control, color quality, intuitive controls, and technologies like SmartCast and NanoComfort. The company has installed over 125 million LEDs since 2008 and holds a 2,500+ patent portfolio.123
History
Cree, Inc. was founded in 1987, and RUUD Lighting in 1982; Cree acquired RUUD in 2011. Cree Lighting pioneered mass-market LED fixtures starting in 2007 with exterior and interior commercial products, followed by street lights in 2008, troffers in 2011, and bulbs in 2013. Key innovations include SmartCast in 2014, WaveMax in 2015, Cadiant in 2019, and NanoComfort in 2023. It joined IDEAL Industries in 2019 and the ADLT family in 2023.1
Product Lines
| Product Line | Positioning | Price Range |
|---|---|---|
| Area Lights (outdoor LED area lighting) | Commercial and industrial outdoor illumination | $150 - $1,800 |
| Downlights (interior LED downlights) | Commercial interior lighting | $50 - $300 |
| Street Lights (LED street and roadway lighting) | Municipal and parking applications | $200 - $2,000 |
| Troffers (LED troffer fixtures) | Office and institutional ceilings | $100 - $400 |
| Canopy Lights (LED canopy fixtures) | Gas stations and covered areas | $250 - $1,200 |
| SmartCast Wireless (sensor-integrated controls) | Intelligent building lighting | $300 - $1,500 |
Manufacturing
Cree Lighting is an industry-leading US-based manufacturer with headquarters in Racine, WI, and global locations. Products are US-made, emphasizing in-house production for outdoor and industrial LED solutions.16
Notable Products
- SmartCast® Wireless with OneButton™ Setup - First mass-market sensor-integrated intelligent lighting platform launched in 2014.
- NanoComfort™ Technology - Provides visual comfort, precise control, and efficiency in fixtures launched in 2023.
- WaveMax® Technology - High-performance street light and parking solutions introduced in 2015.
- Cadiant™ Dynamic Lighting - Dynamic lighting experience launched in 2019.
- ConnectedMax® Smart LED Bulbs - Smart connected bulbs released in 2020.
Reputation
Cree Lighting is recognized by professionals for pioneering LED adoption, with early mass-market fixtures and innovations in efficiency and controls like SmartCast. It is perceived as reliable for commercial and industrial applications due to its installed base and patents. Employee estimates vary across sources, indicating some uncertainty in scale.1234
Sources (6)
- https://www.creelighting.com/company/about/
- https://www.qurator.com/vendors/cree-lighting
- https://www.zoominfo.com/c/cree-lighting-usa-llc/19434976
- https://rocketreach.co/cree-lighting-profile_b454ea36fc921930
- https://www.creelighting.com/insights/topics/about-cree-lighting/
- https://www.creelighting.com