LED Engin, a leader in high flux density LED products, announces a global distribution agreement with Digi-Key, the industry leader in electronic component selection, availability, and delivery. From today, LED Engin’s LuxiGen™ emitters and secondary lenses are available through Digi-Key’s global websites. With over 500,000 customers, Digi-Key is one of the most popular online destinations for electronic component purchases.

Epistar’s epiwafer utilization rates are expected to rise to at least 70% in March, according to several Taiwanese media reports.

Effective start 2015, Jes Munk Hansen is heading OSRAM’s Classic Lamps & Ballasts (CLB) business unit, taking on this assignment alongside his duties as CEO of the Region Americas.

LED Source, a franchisor of LED lighting products, announces the introduction of new Chief Operating Officer Sanford (Sandy) Lechner, CFE. Bringing years of experience working within the franchise community, Lechner is joining the company recently named on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing companies, its fourth consecutive year on the list.

GE reported strong growth in LED lighting business,but overall lighting business slid down by 1%, due to declining traditional luminaire sales.

Most new stocks on the market rarely achieve skyrocketing growth rates, but investors that have betted on MLS shares are probably thrilled at the moment.

In a recent financial statement, Nationstar highlighted positive growth during fiscal year 2014.

The UK’s Lighting Industry received a huge boost this week as the Lighting Industry Association received a share of GBP 1.3 million (US $2 million) from the Government’s Regional Growth Fund to further develop its laboratory services (LIA Laboratories) and new Lighting Training Academy.

Orion Energy Systems, a leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance, energy-efficient lighting platforms, today announced that it intends to offer US $15,000,000 of shares of its common stock in an underwritten public offering. All of the shares in the offering are to be sold by Orion. Orion also expects to grant the underwriter a 30-day option to purchase additional shares equal to up to 15% of the aggregate number of shares to be sold in the offering to cover over-allotments, if any.

It will take some time before the effects from MOCVDs and other LED chip equipment acquired in 2014 will become evident, but it is expected the new equipment will make significant contributions to this year’s revenue growth, announced Chinese LED manufacturer HC SemiTek recently in an investor relations statement.

Following leading Chinese LED package manufacturer MLS’s recent IPO announcement, a Bloomberg report estimated the company’s Chairman Sun Qinghuan will be joining the billionaire club after the IPO.

China’s leading LED package manufacturer MLS, which has earned a reputation as “price slasher” in the LED industry, recently announced it will be raising RMB 960 million (US $ 153.87 million) through a Shenzhen IPO to expand its production capacity and increase liquidity, according to a Chinese Business News reports. MLS actions indicates the LED industry is entering another industry restructure phase.

It seems Samsung Display has not quite given up on OLED TVs yet, and has no intention of letting rival compatriot LG Display become a monopoly in this sector, according to a recent Reuters report.

Vying the lucrative Japanese market, leading Korean LED manufacturer Lumens announced it has signed a joint venture agreement with Japanese company TN Holdings, according to a Japanese media SankeiBiz report.

Orion Energy Systems, a leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance, energy-efficient lighting platforms, today announced financial results for its fiscal 2015 third quarter and nine months ended December 31, 2014.

Osram recorded a strong operating performance in the first quarter of the current fiscal year that started in October 2014. With growth of 0.5 percent, revenue was slightly above the year-earlier period on a comparable basis, i.e. excluding portfolio and currency effects. In nominal terms, the company even recorded a revenue increase of five percent to almost €1.4 billion, resulting from the weakness of the euro against key currencies and the acquisition of Clay Paky. EBITA1 excluding special items rose 23 percent to EUR 151 million (US $171.45 million) in the first quarter, translating into a margin of 10.8 percent. 

Rubicon Technology, a leading provider of sapphire substrates and products to the LED, semiconductor, and optical industries, today announced the appointment of Hap Hewes as Senior Vice President, Optical. He will lead marketing and business development activity for sapphire products in the aerospace, optical, consumer electronics and industrial markets.

Everlight Chairman Robert Yeh issued a statement clarifying a recently misleading Taiwan media report that claimed the company was abandoning the LED tube and bulb market.

Chinese sapphire manufacturer Roshow Technology reported plummeting net profits in 2014, according to a company announcement on Jan. 29, 2015.

Chinese LED manufacturer Nationstar Chairman of the Supervisory Juyi Tsai has further sold his shares in the company.

Taiwan’s LED component industry market value is expected to grow 14% in 2015, according to estimates by Taiwan’s Photonics Industry and Technology Development Association (PIDA).

As an emerging industry, the LED market has received a lot of attention from investors, especially listed LED companies, according to a hc360.com report. The following wealth listing, is based on listed LED manufacturers market value, share value, and founder company shares.

Group Financials have been restated as of the fourth quarter of 2014 and for prior periods to show the results of the combined businesses of Lumileds and Automotive as discontinued operations in connection with the process of attracting third-party investors.

NVC Lighting, which has suspended trade on the Chinese bourse, recently appointed Wang Donglei as the company’s official CEO, according to a report by Chinese media Tencent.

Chinese LED manufacturer Silan Microelectronics (Silan) recently announced net profits soared in 2014 by 30% to 50% compared to the same period in 2013.

NEMA’s Lighting Systems Index increased 1.9 percent from the second to the third quarters of 2014, climbing to its highest level to date in calendar year 2014.  The index posted a gain of 4.1 percent on a year-over-year basis. Shipments of emergency lighting, fixtures, and miniature lamps improved during the quarter; however, ballast and large lamp shipments fell.

A recruiting and staffing firm for Cree has laid off 319 contract workers that work for the LED company in Durham, North Carolina, U.S., according to a news & observer report.

Taiwan’s LED gross output value could soar at double digit rates in 2015 as local suppliers seek out various application sectors to boost shipments, said Taiwan’s LED Lighting Industry Association (TLLIA).

Having established a foothold in the Egyptian market, Tamer Abol Ghar, CEO of Philips North East Africa, recently spoke Egypt media Daily News about the company’s plans for 2015.

Access Fixtures, a leader in commercial and sports lighting, is proud to announce a 53% revenue growth in a year-over-year comparison from 2013 to 2014. Specifically, LED products exceeded a growth of 100% year-over-year, demonstrating the constant advancement of LED technology and rapid adoption of LED products, including LED bollard lights,LED wall packs, and LED flood lights. LED product sales now exceed 50% of Access Fixtures total revenue.