German lighting manufacturer Franz Sill has succumbed to difficult market conditions and filed for preliminary insolvency.
The company, which manufactures floodlights, luminaires and projectors, now has three months to come up with a way forward and has already initiated a reorganisation and restructuring strategy.
In the meantime, business continues, according to a statement from the company: "Despite the insolvency the business activities will remain as usual. The orders already placed with us will be processed with the same care and reliability."
The Brandenbury Gate in Berlin is just one of the many iconic landmarks lit by Franz Sill
Oxfordshire-based Sill Lighting UK – a wholly owned subsidiary of Franz Sill – is so far unaffected. "They have gone into preliminary administration, but the administrators have said the UK team goes on as normal at the moment," said Bob Bohannon, former general manager and now part-time consultant to Sill Lighting UK.
He continued: "We have some very loyal suppliers and customers and we will do all we can to look after these people.
"Sill is one of the world's leading brands, they have lit some amazing buildings; it's a real shame. The team in England has fought like lions to keep going and I am utterly proud of them."
The UK company has worked on high profile projects that include St Pancras Station, Heathrow Terminals 4 and 5, and the Royal Albert Hall.
Franz Sill has been involved in lighting landmarks around the world, including the Brandenburg Gate and the Red Town Hall in Berlin, the Nelson Mandela Bridge in Johannesburg, South Africa, and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.