BROTHER and sister Jonathan and Emma Lang are planning to set the business world alight with their expanding new enterprise.

Futuristic Fibre Optic is an innovative business which brings the latest technology to lighting solutions for the twenty-first century.

Operating nationally, Jonathan and Emma design, supply and install fibre optic lighting systems to a diverse range of commercial, retail and leisure developments.

Their clients range from nightclubs, bars restaurants and cinemas through to art galleries, aquariums, museums, shopping centres and health clubs.

The business was originally launched by Jonathan, who had the idea of illuminating marinas and other waterfront developments. However, when enquiries came in from a host of other potential users, he decided to look at the much wider market of fibre optic lighting for public and commercial areas.

"I knew the potential of the technology was huge and that its use was pretty limited at present," said Jonathan.

Setting up their own company was not an easy decision for the pair and it represented a major career change for both of them. Jonathan is a marine biology graduate and Emma is qualified in commerce, economic and French.

"It was a big decision," admitted Jonathan. "I had just returned from working in Hong Kong when we started exploring the business opportunities presented by the fibre optic technology and I ended up turning down quite a lucrative job at Morgan Stanley in London."

To keep down costs, they started from home for the first six months. It soon became clear, however, that they needed the infrastructure and resources of a more professional environment and they moved to the Northern Technologies Innovation Centre in January this year.

"We needed the correct infrastructure and support facilities to take the business forward," said Emma. "This was easily the best location we looked at in terms of the IT systems and access to the motorway system. It immediately gave us more credibility when clients called or visited us."

Since the move, Jonathan and Emma set out to promote the benefits of fibre optic lighting to architects, electrical engineers and other key specifiers.

"Re-educating specifiers that fibre optics are now a more realistic alternative to conventional lighting has been the key," said Jonathan.

"There have been improvements in lamp technology and reductions in the cost of the equipment. This has been enhanced by improved consumer awareness that the choice of lighting will have as great an impact on the finished interior as will the choice of colours."

Futuristic Fibre Optics offers complete turnkey systems that are not only eye-catching, but are also vandal-resistant and cheaper to maintain in the long-run than conventional lighting. Recent projects they have completed in the North West include the feature staircase at The Great Northern in Manchester and the lighting of the spire on K2, the tallest building in Leeds.

Both Jonathan and Emma concede that starting a new business has been far from easy. "I know it is a cliche, but we have put a hell of a lot into the business - late nights, weekends and a lot of my time is spent travelling," said Emma.

They have already met with some success and earlier this year, they won the regional round of the Shell Livewire Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

New enquiries are coming in daily and the pair believe that their partnership is the backbone behind their success.

"Individually, we're quite different," explained Emma. "But that works to our advantage as we both possess a complementary skills set, while remaining on the same wavelength. Jonathan is the ideas man with the technical brain. I concentrate on sales, marketing and strategy."