Royal Philips NV is in discussion to sell its lighting-components division, Lumileds to American private equity firm, Apollo Global Management LLC, reported Bloomberg Technology.

On September 29, 2016, Nichia Corporation (“Nichia”) filed a request for a preliminary injunction in Germany at the Düsseldorf District Court against Mouser Electronics Inc. (“Mouser”), alleging that the white LED product “334-15/X1C5-1QSA” manufactured by Everlight Electronics Co., Ltd. (“Everlight”) and distributed by Mouser in Germany infringes Nichia’s YAG patent EP 936 682 (DE 697 02 929).

Cree confirmed that the company has laid off approximately 2.5% of its employees at its Durham headquarters, reported the Journal Times. The company reported that local job cuts and an unspecified number of jobs that were eliminated out of “response to current business conditions.”

San’an Opto clarified rumors that it was in acquisition talks with Osram on Monday.

The International Energy Agency might try replicating India’s LED bulb policy in Indonesia to lower costs of the efficient lighting technology, reported The Hindu.

In June 2016 NICHIA commenced a lawsuit claiming that certain white LED-containing products sold by B&Q plc, the largest DIY company in the UK, and sourced from third-party Asian manufacturers infringed Nichia's European “YAG” patents.

Chinese LED lighting company Yaming Lighting appointed Ayhan Siriner as the new general manager for Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region as part of its regional deployment strategy.

Cree appoints Daniel Castillo as President, Lighting, effective Nov. 7, 2016. In this role, Castillo will report to Chuck Swoboda and will lead both the commercial and consumer lighting businesses. Castillo joins Cree from Eaton Corporation, where he was most recently Senior Vice President, Oil, Gas and IEC Assemblies. Prior to his work at Eaton, Castillo held leadership roles in lighting and other electrical product areas at both Cooper Industries and General Electric.

The Queen Creek Tunnel on US 60 east of Superior now has a LED lighting system, making it Arizona’s first tunnel to have this innovative and energy-saving technology.

Effective Oct. 4, 2016, Osram, a leading global lighting and technology company, has successfully completed the acquisition of Novità Technologies, a U.S. manufacturer of automotive LED modules which are used primarily in tail lights, fog lights and daytime running lights. With this move, Osram will further expand its position in the U.S. automotive LED market. “The successful closing of this transaction is a further step in our strategy to strengthen our leading position in automotive lighting and to expand our LED automotive portfolio for project business,” said Hans-Joachim Schwabe, CEO of the Specialty Lighting business unit. 

Chinese LED chip manufacturer San’an Opto is in talks of acquiring Osram group, German magazine Wirtschaftswoche reported Thursday, without indicating information sources.The acquisition talks are more than just business transacations, but reveal Chinese government's industry policies, analyzed LEDinside.

Osram has gained the services of Thorsten Müller as its new Head of Innovation and Research. The 39-year-old is currently the CEO of the Connected Devices and Solutions division at Bosch and will take up his new position as Head of Corporate Innovation at Osram on December 1, 2016. “Thorsten Müller is an acknowledged expert on the Internet of Things”, said Stefan Kampmann, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of OSRAM Licht AG. “He will provide us with valuable impetus for the ongoing digitization and connectivity in the lighting industry and drive forward our transformation into a high-tech company.”

Leti, an institute of CEA Tech, announced today it has joined the Stanford SystemX Alliance, a network of 100 renowned Stanford University professors and 27 world-class companies, joining forces in a pre-competitive environment to define tomorrow’s research strategies. Leti’s participation bridges the gap between two worlds – academia and industry.

Elemental LED, a leading U.S. based engineering and technology company that manufactures LED lighting solutions, announced today a strategic partnership with Nora Lighting to meet the growing demand for the innovative and award winning SWITCHEX®, the first combination LED driver and LED dimmer switch.  Elemental LED and its manufacturing and wholesale division, Diode LED, provides a wide variety of superior quality linear, task, and accent LED lighting solutions for both commercial and residential applications.

A new $200 million Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan will finance installation of millions of energy-efficient lights in streets and homes and energy-efficient water pumps in farms across India, leading to energy savings of around 3,800 gigawatt-hours per year, equivalent to the annual output of two 300-megawatt coal-fired power stations. 

The six month run of NEMA’s Electroindustry Business Conditions Index (EBCI) scoring 50 or higher has ended with September’s result of 47.1. Dropping below 50 suggests that current conditions are no longer conducive for expansion in the electrical manufacturing sector. Only 24% of respondents reported better conditions in September, versus 33% last month. The share of respondents reporting worse conditions nearly doubled from 17% in August to 29% this month, while the proportion of panel members who noted unchanged conditions showed little movement—47% this time compared to 50% last month.

Taiwanese LED company Lianovation announced last Friday it will be halting trade on the Chinese bourse as of Monday this week, due to uncertainties in a recent acquisition caused by changes in the capital market, management environment, and company restructure.

A city located in eastern India, Chennai is finanlizing its second phase streetlight extension which will value an estimated INR 1.45 billion (US $200 million) and install 74,000 new LED streetlights in an expanded area.

Plainville, a town located in Connecticut, U.S. is installing hundreds of LED streetlights with some featuring advanced connectivity technology, reported NBC Universal.

Feilo Acoustics the lighting arm of INESA announced it will be scaling up investments in smart lighting by forming a joint venture with two other Chinese companies, including a state-owned investment company.

Refond Optoelectronics recently announced its board members approved two proposals including the termination of its subsidiary in Dongyuan city in Guangdong Province, China, and forming a joint venture with foreign investors.

Rising VR, security and small pitch LED display demands has led to severe shortage in AlInGaP LEDs, reported Chinese-language newspaper Commercial Times.

Philips Lighting, a global leader in lighting, and Huawei Technologies have signed a partnership agreement to ensure the seamless interoperability of the Philips Hue connected lighting system for the home with Huawei’s OceanConnect Internet of Things (IoT) platform. Under the agreement, Huawei will become a ‘Friends of Hue’ partner and Philips Lighting an OceanConnect partner, so that customers using Huawei’s IoT platform will be able to offer their end users a certified user experience with full control of Philips Hue lighting.

Cree has been named the exclusive Official Lighting Partner of the Cleveland Browns. Cree and the Browns have partnered to continue to deliver a better fan experience with recent lighting improvements made to the Cree branded gate at FirstEnergy Stadium. This season, fans will enjoy a better lighting experience with new Cree® LED lighting installed throughout the gate, as well as a new escalator wrap that gives fans bright ideas for saving with LED lighting while having fun on game-day.

Power management company Eaton announced that it is demonstrating its Streetworks wireless smart city solutions featuring LED outdoor luminaires with CIMCON’s intelligent, wireless controls, sensors and software products at the IES Street and Area Lighting Conference in Hollywood, California, on September 18 to 21 at the Lowes Hotel at booth 40 and 41.

Philips Lighting, a global leader in lighting, announced the launch of its new five-year sustainability program ‘Brighter Lives, Better World’ during the Climate Week NYC. This is the first time Philips Lighting has set sustainability goals as a standalone, listed company, building on the long legacy of Philips’ world class performance in sustainability and its EcoVision programs. Earlier this month, Philips won anindustry group leader position in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index Capital Goods categoryafter four years of consecutive nominations. Philips Lighting had an integral role in this achievement with its sustainable revenues reaching 72% of its total sales in 2015.

San’an Opto announced last Thursday it has temporarily shut down its LED manufacturing sites in Xiamen, Fujian province of China for repairs, due to damages caused by Typhoon Meranti last weekend.

Osram Opto announced it will be appointing general LED lighting veteran Dr. Jiaping Shao as its new Solid State Lighting sales leader in China.

Traditional light bulbs in three areas in Dubai will be replaced with LED lights, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) stated recently.

Swedish lighting experts, Aura Light, welcomes Craig Herriott as its new Northern Regional Sales Manager, as the company continues to expand its UK operation.