LED lighting is one of the easiest categories to move out of China and one of the easiest to get wrong. Drivers, chips, optics and housings all come from different tiers of supplier, and a factory that assembles beautifully can still ship you a fixture that fails a UL or CE file review.
TUSKO is a Bangkok-based sourcing and trading partner. We shortlist and audit factories across Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia, run the quality plan, and quote you a single landed price with one accountable contact from RFQ to port.
What buyers import in this category
- Indoor and outdoor luminaires, high-bay, panel, track and linear fixtures
- Street and industrial lighting with IP65/IP66 housings
- Horticultural and architectural lighting
- Retrofit lamps and driver-on-board assemblies
Why ASEAN instead of China in 2026
Three forces are moving Western buyers into ASEAN: tariff exposure on Chinese origin, customer pressure for a second source, and the maturity of the manufacturing base in Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. ASEAN factories are generally smaller, which means your order gets attention, but it also means you must verify capability rather than assume it. A shortlist without an on-site audit is a guess.
Specify these before you ask for a price
A vague RFQ produces a cheap quote and an expensive programme. Fix the following in writing:
- Lumen output, efficacy (lm/W), CCT and CRI targets with tolerance
- Driver brand, model and warranty term — this is the number one failure point
- LM-80 data for the LED package and TM-21 projection for L70 life
- IP and IK rating, ambient temperature range, surge protection level
- Photometric files (IES/LDT) needed for your lighting designers
Market compliance for first-world buyers
United States — UL 8750 / UL 1598 or ETL listing, FCC Part 15B, DLC listing if your customer claims utility rebates, and California Title 20/24 where applicable.
European Union — CE with LVD, EMC, RoHS and ErP; EPREL registration for lamps and luminaires; a declared EU importer on the label.
United Kingdom — UKCA plus UK RoHS, and a UK responsible person named on the product.
Australia — RCM with an SAA approval for mains-voltage fittings, plus GEMS registration for regulated lamp types.
Compliance evidence should be collected during the pilot build, not requested after the container is loaded. We build the document list into the production plan.
The quality plan we run
- Goniophotometer report on the first production lot, not a marketing sheet
- 48–72 hour burn-in on a sample set before packing
- Hipot and earth continuity on 100% of mains-voltage fixtures
- Driver batch traceability so a field failure can be traced to a date code
- Drop and carton compression tests for long linear fixtures
Inspections are carried out by our own people on site. You receive photo and measurement reports before we authorise shipment, and nothing ships on a report you have not seen.
Landed cost, honestly
A mid-volume panel or high-bay programme sourced in Thailand or Vietnam typically lands 12–25% below a comparable China price once tariffs, driver warranty risk and rework are counted. The savings disappear if you accept an unbranded driver, so we quote the driver as a named line item.
Our fee is built into the landed cost you are quoted. There is no separate retainer, and you see one price per unit delivered to your named port or door.
A realistic timeline
| Stage | Typical duration |
|---|---|
| Requirement scoping and RFQ pack | 3–5 days |
| Supplier shortlist and quotations | 1–2 weeks |
| On-site factory audit | 1 week |
| Samples and first article approval | 2–5 weeks |
| Pilot run and inspection | 2–3 weeks |
| Mass production and pre-shipment QC | 4–8 weeks |
| Ocean transit to US / EU / UK / AU | 3–6 weeks |
Frequently asked questions
Can ASEAN factories match Chinese LED prices at low volume?
At 500–2,000 units per SKU, yes for most fixtures, because tooling is usually shared and housings are extruded aluminium rather than custom die-cast. Below 300 units, expect a premium.
Who owns the tooling for a custom housing?
You do, when it is written into the order. We document mould and extrusion die ownership before the first payment.
How long does certification take?
Plan 6–10 weeks for a UL or ETL file on a new platform and 3–5 weeks for CE/UKCA testing, running in parallel with the pilot build.
Do factories in Thailand and Vietnam use Nichia, Lumileds or Samsung LEDs?
Many do, and we require the LED package and driver to be specified by part number so a substitution is a deviation, not a surprise.
Start with a scoping call
Send your drawings, specification or a sample photo with your target volume and destination market. We will tell you honestly whether ASEAN is the right base for this product, which country fits best, and what a realistic landed price looks like. Message us on WhatsApp Business at @tuskoconsulting or email contact@tuskoconsulting.com — we reply within 12 hours.