2016 was a record year for materials manufacturer Covestro. Driven by demand for innovative materials, the Group’s core volumes increased by 7.5%. With greater capacity utilization across its plants, adjusted EBITDA surged by 22.7% above the 2015 figure to EUR 2.0 billion. Net income more than doubled from EUR 343 million to EUR 795 million. On this basis, Covestro plans to pay its shareholders a dividend of EUR 1.35 per share.

While InGaN-based LEDs (normal LEDs for Lighting and backlight) continue to face oversupply, IR LEDs have been in the limelight in 2017 with various applications boosting demands. 

Apple is apparently going all out for its next-generation iPhone. Latest reports suggest Apple has bought Israeli startup RealFace who specializes in facial recognition technology, adding weight to recent rumors claiming that the new iPhone will boast facial recognition.

Global demand for LED chips has been picking up strongly, and is expected to finally exceed supply in 2017. In addition, Apple has recently patented a new smartphone solution that would use a range of Micro LEDs for fingerprint recognition. As a result, prices of LED products have been on the rise.

While the public fixed their eyes on Osram’s deal with the Chinese consortium, another acquisition secretly took place in Europe. Philips, the Dutch lighting giant recently focusing on healthcare technology, last year privately bought Luciom and relocated it from France to Eindhoven, Netherland, reported LEDs Magazine.

Crossing the road safely is an important rule that everyone should bear in mind. There are also signs everywhere to remind us of road safety. However, smartphone zombies, namely pedestrians who are obsessed with their phones and do not pay attention to their surroundings while walking, have taken over the world. They even cross the roads with their eyes glued to their phones, to the extent that they become a hazard to themselves and others.

Japanese Nobel Laureate Shuji Nakamura, known for his invention of blue LED manufacturing technology and several subsequent LED innovations, disclose the history of blue LED and shared with the public his insights concerning the future of the LED industry on 8th Feb. at Academia Sinica. As general lighting has lately come to the stage of maturity, which hindered the LED industry, LED manufacturers are now seeking potential markets where they could recuperate and thrive. In his speech, Nakamura 'illuminated the industry’ by unveiling three future LED applications: Micro-LED, laser lighting, and the Li-fi technology.

Apple’s 10th anniversary iPhone has already caused quite a stir. There have been rumors that the company will roll out three new phones this year, including one with an OLED display. With this huge market opportunity, companies are now striving to join Apple’s supply chain.

Philips Lighting, with sales of EUR 7.1 billion in 2016 and 34,000 employees worldwide, has been focusing on developing new smart lighting solutions to cater to smart city trends around the world.

LEDs have become mainstream lighting applications. In recent years, market penetration rate of LED lighting has increased rapidly, and in 2016 the downtrend in prices became less noticeable. However, market growth has slowed, suggesting that global demand has become uneven.   

The 2017 presentation of InfoComm China, to be held on 12 – 14 April 2017, will set yet another record for being the largest ever to take place, occupying all nine halls covering 55,000 sqm of the China National Convention Centre. Building on the success of previous editions, InfoComm China 2017 will see more than 300 local and overseas exhibitors as well as the convergence of record number of visitors and Summit delegates, further enhancing its position as the biggest, most vibrant and not-to-be-missed showcase of professional AudioVisual (pro-AV) and Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Asia Pacific.

There have been rumors that Apple will switch to OLED screen for its iPhone 8. Those rumors seem to carry more weight after Apple reportedly ordered an additional 60 million OLED panels from Samsung, bring the total number to 160 million. This means that Samsung may become the main supplier for iPhone 8 displays.

Market research firm TrendForce reports annual tablet shipments worldwide posted a decline for 2016, dropping 6.6% to 157.4 million units. However, total shipments from branded tablet vendors surpassed expectations because of the robust year-end holiday sales.

First revealed by AppleInsider, Apple has been awarded a US patent on Tuesday, suggesting that the company is exploring display technology that embeds Micro LEDs and an IR diode to read users’ fingerprints without a dedicated Touch ID sensor. This new design feature may shed lights on its iPhone 8.

Apple is said to release a low-priced iPad and will partner with Chinese players to reduce production costs, boosting this new product’s competitive edge.

Due to recent pollution crackdown by Chinese authorities, the steel industry in China has halt production and undergone consolidation, leading to a dramatic price surge in steel products. As a result, prices of LED chip and packages have also increased, further resulting in a price hike in LED end products.

Osram’s spokeman told Reuters it foresees a rapid increase in demand for its infrared components in the light of the introduction of the state-of-the-art iris-scanning identification in mobile devices. Osram plans to recruit around 1,000 new talents at its factory in Regensburg, Germany.

Another bitter litigation between two noted LED manufacturers has come to an end. The Intellectual Property High Court of Japan (IPHC) announced on 18th of Jan, 2017 a dismissal of the lawsuit Everlight filed to call for injunctions against Nichia based on the Japanese Unfair Competition Act.

It is reported by Reuters on 30th of Jan that a spokesman of lighting manufacturer Osram announced the company has been approved by the German government to sell its Lamps unit to an association of Chinese bidders for 400 million euros (USD 425 million).

Elemental LED announced today that Matt John, Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President of Business & Product Development, has been recognized by the National Association of Innovative Lighting Distributors (NAILD) with the Forces Under 40 award. The program is aimed at rewarding the achievements of young and dynamic leaders in the lighting industry.  Those recognized will be publicly honored at the 2017 NAILD Conference on February 19-22, 2017 in Orlando, Florida, as well as featured in Today’s Lighting Distributor magazine.

LED Linear luminaires normally fascinate due to their formal reductionism but they make it also possible to form completely new design elements. Liz West worked with our luminaires and created a colorful light installation which was recently revealed.

For the long-awaited inauguration of the Elbphilharmonie concert hall located on the harbour-side in Hamburg, a massive light and video setup was installed. It all culminated with a spectacular show in the evening of January 11. As a crucial part of this show, no less than 500 pcs. of P-5 and P-2 wash lights from SGM were applied.

Philips and Cree both announced their revenues for 2016. Philips results showed a slight dip in overall revenue, but continual double digit growths from its LED lighting business. Cree on the other hand reported a slight decline in its overall revenue of about 8% compared to the same period last year.

Formosa Petrochemical Corporation (FPCC) announced Thursday about a new investment partnership with Japanese UV LED manufacturer Nikkiso to expand applications in medical devices, reported Taiwanese media UDN.

The U.S. Department of Energy's CALiPER program has released a new Snapshot Report on LED troffer luminaires. Among the key findings of the Snapshot, which is based on DOE's LED Lighting Facts® database:

Tridonic, a leading global provider of smart and efficient lighting solutions, is opening a new office in Highland, New York to serve the North American market with smart solutions also for IoT applications. 

Philips Lighting announced that its Supervisory Board will propose the appointment of two new members, Jill Lee and Gerard van de Aast. 

Revolution Lighting Technologies, a global provider of advanced LED lighting solutions, today announced that the small business portion of its New England based companies have completed approximately $25 million of business in 2016.  Through its divisions, Revolution Lighting worked closely with its small business customers to provide “turnkey” energy efficiency retrofit solutions, including the installation of LED technologies.

Dow Corning, a global leader in silicones, silicon-based technology and innovation, significantly expanded the design flexibilities for LED packaging manufacturers today with the addition of three new highly reflective silicone coatings to its fast-growing portfolio of advanced LED solutions. Offering targeted solutions for cutting-edge LED designs – such as chip scale (CSP) and chip on-board (COB) packaging – the three new products also deliver versatile processing options ranging from conventional dispensing to emerging printing methods.

For one weekend a year, Kitzbühel becomes the focal point of the winter sports world – the venue for the undisputed highlight of the Alpine World Cup season. Every January thousands of sports fans make their way to probably the most famous ski slope in Austria – the Streif – in the north-east corner of Tyrol. This year’s event takes place from 20th to 22nd January 2017, when visitors can look forward to thrilling races on the Hahnenkamm slopes and hours of entertainment near the finishing line at the KitzRaceClub. The Zumtobel Group is the official lighting partner for the third time in 2017 and has now combined a series of innovative solutions to perfectly showcase the KitzRaceClub.