Are they important in helping luminaire manufacturers increase prices?
Larry: Yes, they are important, but can only go so far. There are a huge number of complete products coming from China with ballasts. It works so long as there is not too much price disparity between the US and China. If ballast prices are up in the US but not in China, we wont be able to support these component increases. Some distributors are now sourcing product direct from China themselves. This is counterproductive. The price increases seem to be holding now because business is strong and conducive to price increases holding. However, if the market falls, look out. Ed: Do you see any real threats in the market place? Larry. Not really. We constantly watch our competitors. There are always concerns out there, but we do not see any real threats that we have not planned for. By the way, we believe we are now second in market share. Our sales were $1.252 M last year before the JJI and Strand acquisition. Second is a nice place to be, but while market share is important, we tend to foc
