In the 2016/17 financial year the Zumtobel Group posted a marked improvement in earnings and was able to more than double its net profit year-on-year to EUR 25.2 million. While profitability was increased, revenues were impacted by negative currency effects and a challenging business environment. 

Epistar on 21st June announced its financial results, reporting a fully utilized capacity of blue LED as well as a sustained production of AlInGaP LED despite subtle growth in both the output of light sources and the orders for LED backlighting and little possibility to raise prices of its products. The company estimated a 15% QoQ rise that could possibly push up 2Q17’s revenue close to the number in 2Q16. Epistar also expected a decent financial performance in 3Q17 supported by the chip production for LED lighting, AlInGaP LED and infrared LED.

Yesterday (20 June), Jacob Tam, Executive Vice President/ Deputy BU Head at Samsung LED, vehemently refuted the Korea Herald’s and The Bell’s reporting of Samsung LED selling off its business unit in Tianjin to a Hong Kongese private equity firm.

Bridgelux 2835 surface mount device (SMD) products incorporate cutting-edge technology to deliver unsurpassed performance at competitive prices.  Bridgelux's technology results from years of advanced research and development, and is protected by Bridgelux's intellectual property, which currently includes a patent portfolio of more than 300 worldwide patents that extend across the expanse of light emitting diode (LED) technologies, from chips to luminaire solutions. 

EVERLIGHT Electronics Co., Ltd. (EVERLIGHT) on June 10, 2017 filed a patent infringement action against Bridgelux, Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. EVERLIGHT is claiming that Bridgelux infringes U.S. Patent Nos. 6,335,548 and 7,253,448 by manufacturing and selling infringing LED products, including for example the Bridgelux 2835 series.

At this moment in the history of the LED industry, we have already witnessed it passed into the maturity stage, struggled to revive by finding new beachhead markets (and it succeeded), and advanced its production, ready to embrace future business possibilities. LED chip manufacturers and packagers worldwide have now been gradually shifting their focus to develop products for niche markets, including UV LED, IR LED, automotive, horticultural, and even smart lighting.

Philips Lighting announced that it will provide LLC Agro-Invest, Russia’s most innovative greenhouse produce company, with LED grow lights to support cultivation of tomatoes and cucumbers in greenhouses covering an area of more than 25 hectares (equivalent in size to about 40 soccer pitches). The project, which is the largest LED horticultural lighting project ever undertaken, will enable year-round growing, help boost yields - especially in the winter - and will save 50 percent on energy costs compared to conventional high-pressure sodium lighting. The project also underlines a global trend for large-scale LED horticultural lighting implementations that can support demand for locally grown produce. 

The 22nd edition of the Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition (GILE), the most influential and comprehensive lighting and LED event in Asia, has just ended on June 12th 2017 in Guangzhou. Shanghai Wellmax Lighting Industry Co. (WELLMAX), as the industry-wide renowned “LED Bulb Expert” exhibited the trendiest and the best-selling products during the four-day fair, gathering international buyer and media attentions.

It is inevitable to find some exhibitors keep harping on the same old products at a tremendous lighting exposition as GILE 2017 (of course it is for they were there to trade), but it is also fairly reasonable to spot something new, let alone when walking around in the hall of LED chips and packages (of which the market is now a deep red ocean in China).

Kicking off on 9th of June, Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition 2017, under Messe Frankfurt’s thorough organization, gathered 2,428 exhibitors from global lighting and smart technology supply chains. Within a total exhibition space of 180,000 square meters across 17 halls of the China Import and Export Fair Complex, state-of-the-art technologies and hot-button lighting trends and concepts from 21 countries and regions were presented to trade visitors expecting to source promising lighting products and smart-tech ideas.

At LASER World of PHOTONICS, due to be held in Munich from 26- 29 June 2017, Instrument Systems will be showcasing many new products for the measurement of displays, UV sources and laser diodes, together with an extensive portfolio of spectroradiometric instruments. 

EVERLIGHT Electronics Co., Ltd., a leading player in the global LED and optoelectronics industry, is going to exhibit its latest high-voltage & high-efficacy 2835 series, full color and UV LEDs at Guangzhou Int'l Lighting Exhibition 2017; including the various types of components for applications to different situations and occasions, such as office, commercial, residential, industrial and special lighting, etc. one-stop exhibition is available at site; and we sincerely welcome you to visit EVERLIGHT booth at Hall 10.2 B02 to see everything in person.

Osram has agreed to acquire U.S.-based LED Engin Inc. in San Jose, California. The company has approximately 30 employees and annual sales of around USD 10 million. LED Engin specializes in ultra-bright, ultra-compact solid state lighting solutions for variety of specialty markets including entertainment lighting, ultraviolet, horticulture, tunable white and medical lighting applications. Its products mainly incorporate LED chips from Osram Opto Semiconductors.

Apple has been attracting a lot of media attention lately as rumors regarding its next-generation iPhone, new MacBook and AR glasses continue to swirl. A recent thread appeared on Reddit from supposed Foxconn insiders revealed some interesting details about the upcoming products, just days before the tech giant’s annual WWDC kicks off on Monday (June 5, 2017).

In order to know what oversea buyers consider the biggest obstacles they face when sourcing from China, we surveyed over 100 professional international buyers over the past several months and asked them “What is your biggest procurement challenge when buying in China?” It turned out that amongst the most frequent answers, such as quality control issue, supplier relationship management or product certification issues, the top rated one are all supply-chain related challenges. 

Google's VR vice president, Clay Bavor, recently revealed at the Society for Information Display’s (SID) week that Google has teamed up with Sharp to develop VR LCD displays. If the plan goes well, Google is expected to adopt these displays in its VR devices.

According to Japanese media Nikkei, major LED manufacturer Nichia Corporation plans to invest around 22 billion Japanese yen (about US$197 million) by the end of 2020 to build a new laser diode (LD) factory at its current production base. LD can be used as a light source for projectors, endoscopy and headlights. The Japanese LED maker’s goal is to increase current LD production capacity by at least three-fold by 2020. 

Philips Lighting announces the results of the research on the response of bats to different light spectra published in Royal Society journal Proceedings B. The recently launched Philips ClearField LED lighting was used in the research and was proven not to disturb the habitat of light-shy bat species at night.

Idemitsu Kosan Co.,Ltd. and BOE Technology Group Co.,Ltd. have reached a basic understanding to form a strategic alliance for the development of high-performance OLED materials and displays.

IKEA announced that its smart lighting series Trådfri, which was launched in Europe last fall, will be compatible with Apple’s HomeKit, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa by the end of this summer. With this upgrade, users can control their home lighting with voice commands. IKEA also plans to expand its product range in the coming years.

As the world’s biggest “factory”, China has embraced millions of buyers and entities from all over the globe to source any product that you can imagine. Throughout the process, buyers have enjoyed the price competitiveness and advantages of economy-of-scale, but at the same time, faced challenges on various fronts when dealing with Chinese suppliers. From a survey conducted in 2016 by PP-OEM, nearly half of international buyers reported that the long and often changing lead time is one of their top issues among several other potential pain-points. Lead time refers to the period of time from the customer confirms an order to the date when the ordered goods are ready for delivery. In general, this process takes from 30 to 60 days, depends on the products and the manufacturer. 

MOCVD equipment is essential to LED production, and graphite wafer carrier is a unique component of MOCVD systems. Due to technology barriers, currently there are only three graphite wafer suppliers globally: German’s SGL Group, Japan’s TOYO TANSO and Dutch company Xycarb.

Following in the footsteps of Apple and Samsung, Taiwan’s contract manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry, better known as Foxconn, announced that Sharp and other Foxconn group companies will acquire an U.S. startup to develop Micro LED display technology.

Nanoco Group plc, a specialist in the development and manufacture of cadmium-free quantum dots and other nanomaterials, and Japanese OLED startup Kyulux Inc., announced the signing of a collaboration and joint development agreement.

Micro LED, the next generation display technology, has lighten up a new path for the LED industry. As global key players continue to jump on the Micro LED bandwagon, a whole supply chain has gradually taken shape. The development process of related applications has been ramped up, making possible an earlier than expected volume production for Micro LED-based large screen TVs. However, there are still many challenges lying ahead of commercial developments. Among them, two key elements play a pivotal role.

Cree, Inc. announced that Chairman, President and CEO Chuck Swoboda will step down from his executive positions and as a member of the Board of Directors following a transition period.  Mr. Swoboda intends to stay on until a successor is appointed, and thereafter will remain available as a consultant to the Company to ensure a seamless transition of leadership responsibilities.

2017 marks an important year for Apple as it plans to release its new Apple Watch alongside the highly-anticipated next generation iPhone to celebrate its tenth anniversary. Although the tech giant has kept a low profile regarding the innovations it will bring to the market, there have been numerous rumors circulating around the devices already.

The global custom and state-of-the-art lighting market is seeing a uptick in activity in the market as a result of latest advancements in lighting technology and applications. The market is witnessing rapid advancements as well as uses for lighting technologies, while the LED lighting technologies dominated the market in terms of revenue contribution in 2016. Lighting solutions and advancements in the market of note this week include: AV1 Group, Inc., Cree Inc., Koninklijke Philips N.V, Amazon.com, Inc., General Electric.

Lumileds today announced that George Craford, Lumileds Solid State Lighting Fellow, was selected for the IEEE Edison Medal for “a lifetime of pioneering contributions to the development and commercialization of visible LED materials and devices.” Craford will be presented with the medal at the IEEE Honors Ceremony in San Francisco on May 25, 2017, during the IEEE Vision, Innovations, and Challenges (IEEE VIC) Summit.

The amount of measurement points will at least double in the Helsinki region as a new supplementary air quality network of Vaisala and Pegasor sensors will be installed during the next year. The new system will enable agile and economical way to gather new information about the air quality of the Finnish capital city region.