LG and Samsung have been competing in the field of display, showcasing their novel display technology in international fairs one after another. Samsung revealed “the Wall,” the 146-inch Micro LED modular TV at the CES event in the beginning of the year and by the end of August, LG introduced its 173-inch Micro LED TV at the IFA. Aside from Micro LED, the two companies also fought against each other in the high-end TV market by releasing large sized OLED TVs. The two Korean electronics giants have both revealed their financial results fo...

Signify has reported its results for the third quarter of 2018. The sales for 3Q18 came to EUR 1.6 billion (US$ 1.82 billion), with an on-year drop of 5.3 percent. The sales of LED-based products represented 70% of total sales and grew by 0.1% compared to 3Q17. Its net income was EUR 93 million (US$ 105.85 million), which dropped by 15.1% YoY.

Taiwanese panel producer Innolux has announced the restructuring of the company’s organization. Robert Shiao, the prior president of the company, has become Vice Chairman. James Yang was promoted as President from Vice President and will oversee the business unit, operation unit and manufacturer unit of Innolux. According to Jim Hung, Chairman of Innolux, the new management team would strengthen the flexibility and competitiveness of the company.

With the orders of backlight products and fine pitch displays, Epistar has reached the highest monthly revenue of NT$ 1.93 billion (US$ 62.38 million) of the year in September with an increase of 1.36% MoM and a decrease of 22% YoY. 

Lextar has reported revenue drop in September due to its continuous product adjustments. The company registered a revenue of NT$ 98 million (US$ 3.17 million) for September with a decrease of 6.7% YoY. 

Automotive LED lighting module producer Laster Tech has reported continuous shipment of its automotive lighting modules even during the off-peak season for automakers. The company has registered a revenue of NT$ 359 million (US$ 11.64 million) for August with an increase of 17.15% YoY and 0.13% MoM. 

LED packaging company Everlight has announced revenue of NT$2.21 billion (US$ 71.69 million) for August, up by 9.26% MoM and down by 5.83% YoY. 

The market scale of LED lighting has continued to grow with the driving forces from the emerging market and the transition of traditional lighting to LED lighting. The expanding market has attracted many companies to join, leading to escalating competition and sliding profit. Many LED companies have thus decided to quit their lighting business or to reorganize their strategies. 

Taiwan-based LED auto lamp modules and components manufacturer EOI (Excellence Optoelectronics Inc) has reported high profit margin for 1H18 which was pushed by the strong demands of LED automotive lamps in the North American market.

Innolux, the Taiwanese panel maker, has announced a revenue for July of NT$ 25.2 billion (US$ 819.58 million) with an increase of 1.6% MoM and a decrease of 0.8% YoY. 

In the beginning of 3Q18, Epistar’s revenue report did not match its expectation. The company registered a revenue of NT$ 1.81 billion (US$ 58.87 million) for July, down by 0.1% MoM and 19.36% YoY.

Lextar reported its financial report for the second quarter of 2018 with a consolidated revenue of NT$ 2.98 billion (US$ 97.24 million), up by 12.6% QoQ. The net profit came to NT$ 50 million (US$ 1.63 million). For the first half of the year, the revenue was NT$ 5.63 billion (US$ 183.71 million) with a decrease of 8.8 YoY, while the net profit dropped by 75.5% to NT$ 12 million (US$ 391,572). 

LED IC driver manufacturer Macroblock registered a revenue of NT$ 245 million (US$ 7.99 million) for July, down by 9.97% MoM, which was not in line with the expectation of the peak quarter. Macroblock indicated that the trade war between the U.S. and China has impacts on the company’s orders.

Automotive LED module producer Laster Tech has registered a revenue of NT$ 358 million (US$ 11.68 million), up by 45.82% YoY, hitting record high levels. 

Canadian automotive components supplier Magna has reported its net income of the second quarter with a growth of 13% YoY to US$636 million. Despite the growth, the company has adjusted its outlook for 2018 in response to tariffs. 

During the second quarter of this year, many panel producers reported profit drop due to oversupply. However, as the third quarter began, AUO has announced its increased revenue for July with panel price bouncing back and rising shipments. 

LED vertical integration manufacturer Lextar Electronics registered a revenue of NT$ 950 million (US$ 31 million) for July, up by 4.3% MoM and down by 15% YoY. The company said it has adjusted its product portfolio by radically reducing the share of general lighting products and targeting customized LED lighting modules and high power LED for special applications.

Lighting companies have released updates about their financial results and reported their outlook for the second half of 2018.

In the past few weeks, the LED industry has been active with several worldwide leading brands reporting their financial results of the second quarter and the first half of 2018 as well as big names announcing news of company reconstruction. LEDinside highlights the news for our readers to quickly follow up the industry updates. 

Unity Opto, a Taiwan-based LED packaging company, has announced the issuance of up to 120 million shares for private placement as approved by its shareholders to introduce strategic partners. The Taiwanese OEM Wistron, reported its investment in Unity Opto through its subsidiary, ArFlex.

Panel makers in Asia have been struggling with the oversupply of LCD products and have reported profit drop in the second quarter of 2018 compared to last quarter and last year. 

Samsung Electronics announced its financial result for the second quarter of 2018 at KRW 58.48 trillion (US$ 52.05 billion) with a decrease of 4% YoY. The operating profit was KRW 14.87 trillion (US$ 13.23 billion), up by 6% YoY.

The German semiconductor equipment maker Aixtron has reported its financial results for the second quarter and the first half of 2018 and revealed that its MOCVD systems for laser and red-orange-yellow (ROY) LED applications have created significant contributions to the sales growth. 

Foxconn Technology Group and its subsidiary Innolux will buy stakes in Vizio, the U.S. based television brand as the group’s strategy to expand market in North America. 

Philips Lighting has completed the cancellation of 2.2 million shares that it repurchased from Royal Philips in February 2018 for an aggregate amount of EUR 71 million.

Philips Lighting announced that it has repurchased 154,000 shares in the period May 2, 2018 to May 4, 2018. The shares were repurchased at an average price of EUR 26.54 per share and an aggregate amount of EUR 4.09 million.

Universal Display Corporation reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2018. It also announced that its Board of Directors approved a second quarter cash dividend of $0.06 per share on the Company's common stock.

“The first half of the fiscal year was challenging due to various factors. However, the long-term growth trend remains intact, while the reorganization and the technological shift are continuing,” said Olaf Berlien, CEO of OSRAM Licht AG.

Philips Lighting announced the start of a program to repurchase up to 1.5 million of its own shares. Philips Lighting will use the shares to cover obligations arising from its long-term incentive performance share plan and other employee share plans.

Seoul Semiconductor on April 30 announced consolidated first-quarter revenues of Korean won (KrW) 283.0 billion (USD 263 million). The rise in consolidated revenue came from strong sales in general lighting, especially from the automotive lighting segment and strength across all application segments, with the IT division delivering high single digit growth YoY. The results fall within the company’s guided KrW 270 billion and KrW 290 billion for the quarter.