Certain Taiwanese financial institutes are starting to tighten their credit policies on three industries that have been affected by intense market competition from China, including LED, solar energy and displays, reported UDN recently.

Chinese and Belgium government agencies signed a LED lighting partnership agreement in Hasselt, capital of Limburg province in east Belgium on Tuesday, reported Xinhua.

In a letter issued by Aixtron, it assured clients that it would remain a German company, protect its patents, and highlighted the benefits the potential acquisition deal with Fujian Grand Chip Investment Fund (FGC) would have on its future business strategy.

Aixtron’s announcement last Friday that is in talks with Chinese investment group Fujian Grand Chip Investment Fund (GCI)’s German subsidiary has attracted criticism from one of the group’s largest shareholder Argonaut Capital, according to aFinancial Times report.

Taiwanese LED EPI-wafer manufacturer Epistar has vehemently denied claims made by local media Apple Daily that it had laid off more than 100 employees following the shut down of its subsidiary FOREPI’s EPI-wafer fab.

Orion Energy Systems, a leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance, energy-efficient retrofit lighting platforms, announced a US $2.4 million retrofit lighting project with a global Fortune 50 retailer due to its ability to work with channel partners to deliver a brand new, custom product in less than a month. The project marks the initial phase of what is expected to be a broader opportunity for both retrofit lighting and new construction.

The sales of Aixtron to a Chinese investor last Friday sparked market rumors, with some industry insiders over interpreting and speculating San’an Opto is involved in the acquisition. LEDinside takes a look into this particular market rumor.

Aixtron and Grand Chip Investment GmbH (“Grand Chip Investment”), a 100% indirect subsidiary of Fujian Grand Chip Investment Fund LP (“FGC”), have today entered into an agreement to take over AIXTRON. Fujian Grand Chip Investment Fund LP is a Chinese investment fund; 51% of which is held by the Chinese business man Zhendong Liu and 49% by Xiamen Bohao Investment Ltd. 

The Silicon Valley technology leader disrupted the flat panel display industry when it launched a breakthrough equipment solution to mass-produce flexible Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs). Flexible OLED technology gives limitless stretch to new product design innovation by liberating panel manufacturers from the constraints of glass substrates. It enables ultra-thin, feather-light displays that are bendable, roll-able, and even fold-able. Kateeva’s solution, known as the YIELDjet™ platform, leverages inkjet printing with novel innovations to perform critical steps in the OLED manufacturing process

Peter Scott, CEO of Fern-Howard Lighting, was welcomed as Lighting Industry Association (LIA) President by departing President, Alasdair McRury, Managing Director of Holophane Europe during the LIA’s Annual Lunch held on May10, 2016.

Spartanburg City Council on Monday night approved design concepts for a US $1 million public art project that will light up neighborhoods later this year.  The funding is provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies. In 2015, the City of Spartanburg was selected as one of four cities nationwide to take part in Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge, a new program to support temporary public art projects that celebrate creativity, enhance urban identity, encourage public-private partnerships, and drive economic development.

Japanese manufacturer Dai Nippon Printing will triple the output of evaporation masks, a core component in OLED panel production, to take advantage of estimated growth demands from smartphone panel applications and others, reported Nikkei.

Authorities of City of Waterloo in Canada will upgrade its current LED streetlights to smart LED streetlights adding features of analyzing traffic conditions, detecting snowfall and connecting to gas and water utility meters, reported Waterloo Chronicle.

The City of West Jordan in Utah, U.S., is replacing approximately 5,000 traditional streetlights with LED (light emitting diode) lights, which provide improved illumination at a reduced operating cost – and shrink the city’s carbon footprint. 

Digital Lumens, the market leader in intelligent lighting systems, announced that it has partnered with Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management and automation. The partnership enables Schneider Electric customers to leverage the power of the Internet of Things (IoT) across a variety of building environments via Digital Lumens’ sensor-based connected lighting and next-generation analytics suite.

RayVio, an advanced UVC LED vendor, announced that it has closed new funding rounds of in total $26 million led by IPV Capital and Tsing Capital. RayVio will use the new funding to scale production to meet global consumer demand for protection against germs in water and environments. RayVio’s powerful Ultraviolet (UV) LED technology enables compelling new health and hygiene products, such as point-of-use water disinfection, and creates new markets and revenue streams for original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners around the world.

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science and Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy have awarded three Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants targeting advances in solid-state lighting (SSL) technology. These Phase I grants will explore the technical merit and commercial potential of different innovative concepts or technologies that are expected to contribute to the achievement of the price and performance goals described in DOE’s SSL R&D Plan.

Philips has decided on the price for its initial public offering for its lighting unit recently, and estimates the spinoff could raise between EUR 694 million and EUR 844 million (US $785 million to US$ 954 million), reported Wall Street Journal.

DOE recently announced two lab funding opportunities, including the DOE’s Technologist in Residence program and The Manufacturing Innovation through Energy and Commerce pilot project.

StrongLED Lighting Systems, a company registered in Cayman Islands, but with operations based in Taiwan and China is rumored to have acquired Osram’s outsurce orders, reported Taiwanese media Commercial Times.

An electronic manufacturer in China recently sued Chinese LED luminaire manufacturer Opple Lighting for trademark infringement, according to a report from Fawan, a Chinese media specializing in legal news.

The board of Taiwanese LED chip manufacturer Epistar decided to invite strategic partners through Global Depository Receipts (GDR) or private equity (PE). Epistar locates at the upstream in the industry supply chain and the partnership with application clients secures the company’s oversea exit, said Epistar Spokesman RiderChang. In other words, the company intends to partner with the clients of their client through stake investment. The company’s shareholder’s meeting is to be launched on June 17, 2016. The stake released by two...

Veeco Instruments announced that SemiConductor Devices (SCD), a leading worldwide supplier of high-end infrared (IR) detectors and laser diodes, has purchased a Veeco GEN200® Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) System to meet the expanding demand for the production of IR detectors.  

Despite delivering overall positive financial performance, Taiwanese electronic group LiteOn’s LED lighting business revenue fell slightly during first quarter of 2016.

Taiwanese LED manufacturer Tailon announced it will undergo capital reduction, as part of its effort to halt financial bleeding, restructure finances, and improve its financial operations.

Lextar consolidated revenue during first quarter of 2016 slid 3.2% YoY to NT$ 3.39 billion (US $ 104.19 million), due to price pressures on the market.

Cree, a leader in LED lighting, has filed counterclaims in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina against Feit Electric Company, Inc. to stop infringement of Cree’s patented technologies. The suit alleges infringement of two patents related to LED bulbs.

The biggest LED street light replacement project in NSW, Light Years Ahead, has come to an end with the last light installed in March.

Over the last two weeks, two Taiwanese LED manufacturers Harvatek and Knightbright decided to settle patent disputes with Cree, ending a nearly two year lawsuit. Both Taiwanese vendors agreed to sign patent royalties for an undisclosed sum. Few details have been released about the conditions of the settlements. It is becoming clearly evident that Cree’s strategy is centered on cashing in from its LED patent portfolio, said a LEDinside analyst, who chose to remain anonymous.

Cree, a leader in LED lighting, announced today that it has reached a confidential settlement in its patent infringement lawsuit with Kingbright, Inc. Kingbright and Cree have agreed to a royalty bearing, worldwide license to the Cree patents-in-suit, thereby ending the lawsuit between the parties.