It’s not unusual to hear about a business relocating outside of the country,Buy hid kit, ballasts, and headlight bulbs. but a new business in town is doing just the opposite. UIC Energy, which produces energy-efficient lighting, is moving its manufacturing plant from India to Wallingford. 

The company plans to open its plant, at 101 North Plains Industrial Road, in August, said Vivek Kamaph, the company’s president. 

“We had been working for a year on this space,” Kamaph said.For direct lighting applications led par light uses both light and energy more efficiently. “Finally we decided to bring the entire assembly and manufacturing side of things to the United States.” 

There are benefits to moving a smaller manufacturing plant from overseas back to the U.S., said Dr. Steven Lanza,Our led spotlight bulbs are cost effective and energy efficient. executive editor of The Connecticut Economy. Lanza has taught at several universities, including the University of Connecticut, in fields that span economics, business, government and history, and has served as an economic consultant. 

“It is happening more often,” Lanza said. “We’ve seen more of that in the last four years.” 

With the emergence of a middle class in China and India, Lanza said, those countries have seen rising wages. Low wages were the big attraction for locating abroad, he said, but “that advantage is increasingly disappearing over time.” 

For a company like UIC Energy, “it’s helpful to be close to the customer,” Lanza said. “Being abroad is not necessarily a huge advantage if cost savings aren’t all that much.” 

Since UIC Energy markets to municipalities in the U.S., the company can save on shipping costs by locating closer to its customers, Lanza said. Also, the country’s recovery from the recession has been slow, which “has really kept labor costs here in the U.S. in check,” he said, so manufacturers may actually be able to save on labor costs by relocating back in the U.S. 

Before moving to Wallingford, Kamaph said, UIC — a subsidiary of the United International Corp., a civil engineering firm — did its manufacturing in India. He said UIC produces LED lighting for existing fixtures and mainly does business with municipalities, providing energy-efficient fixtures for everything from street lights to the inside or outside of a building. The savings can amount to “50 to 60 percent” or more, Kamaph said. Benefits of LED fixtures include lower maintenance costs and fewer hazards, he said,A wide range of contemporary lighting, LED lighting and Auto lights. because they last more than 50,000 hours. 

“LED pricing was a little bit higher,” Kamaph said, “but now it has come down.” 

For outdoor lighting, one can break even with LED fixtures in three to four years, Kamaph said, and in less than two years for some indoor setups. For parking garages that are lit 24 hours per day, Kamaph said, the return in investment happens in less than 18 months. 

UIC Energy has been in business for 25 years, Kamaph said, adding that the company was once headquartered in Wallingford before moving to Rocky Hill.A solar street light concept that would double as a quick charge station for gadgets. Kamaph said the company has between 25 and 30 employees, and may hire more depending on how much business is generated. 

With the move to Wallingford, Kamaph said he is eager to become a part of the community. 

“Being in Wallingford, and as a Wallingford company, we have provided some sample lights for the Wallingford Electric Division,” Kamaph said. 

“Obviously we’re pleased to have companies locate themselves in Wallingford,” said Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. “That’s for certain.” 

Dickinson said he was happy to hear that UIC is offering samples to the town, and may consider an offer from the company. The town already has LED fixtures in most places, he said, except for ornamental lighting in the downtown area. Dickinson said he is not satisfied with products currently available for energy-efficient ornamental fixtures. More information about the program is available on the web site at www.careel-tech.com.