Epistar reported good revenue performance in June, benefitting from high backlight and lighting demands, according to the China Times. Consolidated revenue in June reached NT $2.82 billion (US $94.2 million), increase of 0.85 percent MoM, making it the fourth consecutive month with record high revenue. Lextar performance in June was equally good, hitting a single month high of NT $1.36 million. FOREPI reported revenue of NT $500 million in June, up 4.36 percent MoM. 

Lite-On Technology Corporation reported a combined revenue of NT $20.24 billion (US $676.35 million) for June 2014, up 3 percent MoM, and growth of 18 percent compared to the same period last year. Lite-On core products maintained growth on the back of rebounding end market demands and increased market share. Consolidated revenue from January to June this year was NT $110.2 billion, up 14 percent YoY. 

Taiwanese manufacturer Advanced Optoelectronic Technology (AOT) announced the company has been listed as of July 9, 2014, according to the Economic Daily News, with the backing of two strong parent companies which include Hon Hai and Nichia. AOT poses a threat to Taiwan based rival Everlight. It is estimated that Everlight’s net income will reach NT $5 per share this year, while AOT’s will approach NT $6 per share. 

China based San’an Optoelectronics (San’an Opto) released their 2014 half year (Jan. 1, 2014 to June 30, 2014) financial report, announcing a net profit of RMB 648 million (US $104.6 million), up 40 percent from RMB 462 million in the first half of 2013. 

The LED industry remains optimistic despite faltering macroeconomic growth for LED products. ”LED prices will drop around 20 percent this year. Semiconductors and automotive lighting will become the most profitable sectors within the lighting industry,” said Dr. Ke Zhang, Director of Business Development and Government Affairs, Asia Pacific at Osram.

GT Advanced Technologies (GTAT) shares plummeted 11 percent after investment analysts downgraded GTAT stock ratings from buy to neutral on July 7, 2014.

Tridonic is concentrating its competence in pioneering LED and OLED light sources at its Jennersdorf site in Burgenland, Austria. Tridonic will be integrating successively its OLED activities, which up to now have been located in Dresden, Germany in the LED Competence Centre in Jennersdorf. 

Energy efficient CFL bulb’s hay day may soon be coming to an end. Chinese government CFL subsidies started in 2008 are to conclude, according to Chinese media CCTV2 on July 4, 2014. At present, the China Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Finance along with other relevant departments, are researching and promoting government subsidy policies for LED lighting products. The subsidy’s scope and amount will be adjusted according to the base characteristics of CFL lighting relative to those of LED lighting. 

U.K. based research company Context Information Security has discovered a security weak point in the LIFX smart LED light bulbs. “It is clear that in the dash to get onto the IoT bandwagon, security is not being prioritized as highly as it should be in many connected devices,” said Context Research Director Michael Jordon in an article with Electronics Weekly. 

July has been lately bearing a special meaning for the scientists of COMEDD (Center for Organic Materials and Electronic Devices Dresden): Right on that day two years ago the distinct Fraunhofer institution for research in the area of organic processes and electronics, under the name of Fraunhofer COMEDD, had been established.

LED chip manufacturer Epistar sudden announcement of absorbing FOREPI sent shockwaves throughout the industry this week. LEDinside gives a comprehensive overview of the benefits and potential issues surrounding this important industry merge of the year. Philips also announced on June 30, 2014, restructuring of LED component business Philips Lumileds with automotive lighting business. For more please check out below:

While most factories had closed their doors for the night yesterday, over 300 San’an Optoelectronic (San’an Opto) employees were hard at work burning the midnight oil, to pump out new wafers to meet increasing demands. 

The merger between LED chip manufacturer Epistar and FOREPI has generated much discussion in the industry. Industry insiders have different views on the trend of large LED upstream manufacturers dominating the market. While foreign investment firms are optimistic the merger will create a win-win situation for Epistar and FOREPI, other market insiders are concerned it will have a negative impact on downstream manufacturers.

Since Epistar’s announced the merger with Taiwan based LED manufacturer FOREPI, the industry has been concerned about rival San’an Optoelectronics (San’an Opto) potential to undermine Epistar’s management.  

GT Advanced Technologies (GTAT), announced a realignment of its manufacturing, engineering and supply chain resources to optimize effectiveness across its increasingly diversified business portfolio. The actions taken will align previously centralized personnel and operational resources directly with the company's various businesses, which include the rapidly ramping Arizona based sapphire materials business and expanding equipment businesses with applications ranging from solar and LED to power electronics, consumer electronics and industrial.

Royal Philips, the global leader in lighting showcases the world’s largest installation using luminous textiles, measuring 37 square meters at the Centrum Galerie shopping mall in Dresden.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) new LED energy efficiency standard has been in effect since July 1, 2014. According to the ministry, Taiwan is the first Asian country to implement minimum energy efficiency standards for LED bulbs. The new standard will be applicable for both imported and domestic products.

Honglitronic released their 2014 half year results on July 2, 2014, reporting an increase in net profit of 35-60 percent from last year. The company expanded production capacity to take advantage of booming LED lighting demands in the second half of 2014. 

Lattice Power may not be a household name now in the LED chip industry, but the China based startup is already creating cheaper LED technology that could give large international manufacturers a run for their money. The company has ambitious development plans, recently securing US $80 million in financing to advance production and establish a U.S. based R&D center.   

Besides obscuring the stars, light pollution can also disrupt the reproduction of light-sensitive animals. French scientists have shown that light pollution can override the natural reproductive cycle of some animals, making them sexually active out of season.

New blog post from David Orchard, UK Outdoor Sales Manager at GE Lighting about his observations of the hesitance by some local authorities to upgrade to LED. If financing is no longer a problem, what's the hold up? 1st July, 2014

LG Display (LGD) will supply OLED panels to German automotive manufacturers including Daimler-Benz, according to a Korea Economic Daily Report.

On June 30, 2014, Dutch lighting conglomerate Philips announced the spun-off of LED component business Lumileds and automotive lighting business into an independent company. The two businesses revenue aggregated to US $1.9 billion last year. On the same day, leading Taiwanese LED chip manufacturer Epistar acquired FOREPI through conversion of stocks.

HC SemiTek Corporation announced on July 1, 2014, that its wholly-owned subsidy HC SemiTek (Suzhou) has been granted an industry development subsidy of RMB 27.50 (US $4.4 million) by the Administrative Commission of Zhangjiagang Economic Technology Development Zone.  

Epistar’s acquisition of FOREPI earlier this week rocked the LED industry. Foreign financial institutes have tooted the merger as a win-win for both sides, as it will boost Epistar’s global market shares to 20 percent and production capacity up 30 to 40 percent, according to a United Evening News report. 

A recent CNET article demonstrates how Philips LED Hue bulbs can be customized into severe weather warning lights using Internet platform service IFTTT. For full demo of how it can be done on IFTTT please see link.

Nichia Corporation, headquartered in Tokushima and directed by President Eiji Ogawa, announced today its decision to commercialize blue and green semiconductor laser diode models specifically designed for automotive Head-Up Display (HUD) systems*1 .

OSRAM Licht’s supervisory board has designated Dr. Werner Brandt (60) as the successor of the outgoing member Dr. Joachim Faber (64). Faber resignation from office will be effective starting July 1, 2014.

Universal Display Corporation (Nasdaq: OLED), enabling energy-efficient displays and lighting with its UniversalPHOLED® technology and materials, today announced an expanded evaluation agreement with BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. (京东方). Under this agreement, Universal Display will broaden its collaboration with BOE and supply additional highly efficient phosphorescent OLED (PHOLED) materials for display applications.

Once news broke of Epistar’s acquisition of FOREPI, all eyes turned to China based chip manufacturer San’an Optoelectronics (San’an Opto), eager to see how the company would react.