NEMA’s Lighting Systems Index gained traction during 2014Q4, increasing by 1.8 percent compared to the previous quarter. The index increased 4.7 percent on a year-over-year basis. Index components for emergency lighting, fixtures and miniature lamps posted gains, while ballasts and large lamps retreated q/q. Overall performance during calendar year 2013 placed the index nearly 17 percent above the depressed level of the Great Recession during 2009.

Rubicon Technology, Inc., a leading provider of sapphire substrates and products to the LED, semiconductor and optical markets, announced the commencement of an underwritten public offering of shares of its common stock by selling stockholders. The offering is subject to customary conditions and there can be no assurance as to whether or when the offering may be completed, or as to the actual size or terms of the offering. 

Leadray, Taiwanese LED street light manufacturer, opened a new office in Taipei on March 17th at the Taipei World Trade Center. The company successfully won domestic bids for street lights in 2013. Using their past experience and advantages in LED lighting, Leadray plans to actively improve the Southeast Asia and Central American markets in 2014, which lack in infrastructure and electricity.

March is a big month for LED lighting exhibitions. Taiwan International Lighting Show and Light + Building will open later this month and have already garnered much attention from the market, according to Economic Daily News. The LED industry has rebounded this year, with February revenue growth substantially higher compared to last year.

The LED industry has been engulfed in a wave of M&A as it moves into the lighting era. The past few years have been an intense restructuring period for Taiwanese LED chip manufacturers, said Chein Fen-ren, Chairman of FOREPI. The M&A wave has recently hit Chinese LED manufacturers and Chein estimates that within two to three years, Chinese manufacturers will be whittled down from the current 20-30 to only five. 

AIXTRON SE, a leading provider of deposition systems for the semiconductor industry, has launched operations with a new R&D cluster that demonstrates the core processes used to produce organic semiconductors. This enables the various processes for the deposition of organic thin-films which are required for the manufacture of OLEDs and flexible electronics to be demonstrated efficiently and under industrial production conditions.

Royal Philips, a global leader in lighting, announced that it has entered into agreements to acquire 51 percent of General Lighting Company (“GLC”), a major lighting company in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (“KSA”), from a consortium of shareholders that include Alliance Holding Ltd. (“Alliance”), the Hejailan Group, and The Carlyle Group.

Flip-chips various features are now also being valued in the mobile application market, said FOREPI Chairman Chien Fen-ren during Leadray Energy’s Taipei office opening ceremony on March 17, 2014.

Taiwanese LED manufacturer FOREPI could be seeing record high performance for a single quarter during third quarter this year, said the company Chairman Chein Fen-ren, while attending the Leadray Energy Taipei Office opening ceremony on  March 17, 2014. 

Leadray Energy, a Taiwanese manufacturer based in Miaoli County in central Taiwan, unveiled its new Taipei office at Taipei World Trade Center on March 17, 2014. The new Taipei office reveals the company’s ambition in the global market.

Guangzhou Hongli Opto-Electronics Co. announced that on Mar. 14th Deputy General Manager and Director Hui Lun resigned due to personal reasons during a board of directors meeting.

A quick flash of important news this week: A University of Washington research team releases a three atom thick LED, the thinnest to date. Major international brands Cree and Philips have announced prices for new bulbs, including for the flat shaped SlimStyle bulb. The Zhaga Consortium and UL released new LED standards, while Korea amends LED retrofit lamp standards.

Third tier manufacturers sell products, second class companies build brands, but leading companies set standards. Recently, NVC Lighting became the pioneer in China’s LED industry with the sales of 200,000 LED products with Advanced Union Technology Standard (ANT’S) labelling, according to Guangdong Solid State Lighting Industry Innovation Center (GSC).

The Zhaga Consortium has decided that it will aim to enable LED modules and drivers that are independently interchangeable. This is in addition to Zhaga’s stated aim to enable interchangeability of LED light engines.

Recent studies by different research organizations in China show lighting manufacturers’ orders are on the rise as industry moves closer to peak season in March. Chip manufacturers, however, remain indecisive about expanding production. LED chip supply and demand will be more optimistic compared to last year.  

The LED industry has experienced a recent surge with no signs of stopping. Large global manufacturers such as Philips and Osram, as well as LED manufacturers from China, Korea, and Taiwan are all scrambling to take advantage of the booming market, and have increased investments in  LED lighting sector as they uphold positive outlooks on the sector performance.

The Zhaga Consortium is pleased to announce the appointment of Musa Unmehopa as its new Secretary General, effective from April 1, 2014.

Many cities have been making the switch to LED traffic lights to save on electricity bills. It was not until winder was in full force that the downside of LED light became apparent. 

Chinese LED manufacturer Honglitronic announced company board of trustees approved plan to “Deregister Shenzhen subsidiary Ledia Lighting Technology” in April, 9, 2013 is now effective, according to a report from Chinese-language financial news website Hithink RoyalFlush Information Network.

Revolution Lighting Technologies, Inc. (Revolution Lighting), a provider of advanced LED lighting solutions, announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2013.

The LED industry is benefitting from Chinese government policies, as the country puts environmental pollution issues high on its agenda and highlights energy efficient and environmentally friendly industries, according to a report by Chinese-language media Sing Tao. Chinese LED manufacturer NVC Lighting announced earlier it expected increased profits in 2013, which led to rising stock prices. As LED lighting industry becomes the next major trend, high growths are expected ahead.

Toshiba International Corporation (TIC) of Houston, Texas has announced a reorganization affecting its LED Lighting Systems Division. Toshiba Lighting and Technology Corporation (TLT), headquartered in Yokosuka, Japan, is responsible for Toshiba’s global lighting businesses and is implementing a reorganization of international operations. As a result, the LED Lighting Systems Division within TIC will discontinue most operations by March 31, 2014. 

Spurred by rising demands for safety certification of LED lamps, the Korean government released a new amendment for LED lamp retrofits for fluorescent lamps on Feb. 28th, according to China WTO/TBT National Notification and Enquiry Center. 

As more cities try to save energy and reduce carbon footprint with LED traffic lights, those located in colder climate might need to consider installing additional heating devices to avoid car accidents during heavy snow.

Barbados, an island country located in the Caribbean is a place most LED manufacturers overlook as a potential market, but not for Caribbean LED lighting (CLL).

Quantum Materials Corp. announced it has placed purchase orders for the proprietary equipment necessary to  commence increased production of inorganic quantum dots. The equipment is scheduled for delivery and deployment, on or before the end of the third quarter of 2014. In recent news, QMC announced obtaining equipment funding and reporting that the Los Alamos National Laboratory's (LANL) Thick-Shell technology will be integrated with a variety of QMC's composite tetrapod quantum dots to develop a line of advanced high performance quantum dots.  

The Leizhou peninsula loop highway will be getting a makeover thanks to a RMB 150 million (US $24.4 million) agreement between Electricity Facilities Guangri Company (subsidiary of Guangzhou Iron and Steel Co.) and Nanhai Zhong Dong Group. 

The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) of Taiwan has recently signed an agreement with Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corp (TNSC) for use of TNSC’s AP (atmospheric pressure) MOCVD to develop UVA LEDs on GaN substrate. 

UL announced the introduction of the Type TL Program, which offers a set of certification guidelines designed to create a more efficient path for manufacturers in developing new LED luminaire products. Through the flexibility of the UL Recognized Component program, LED drivers, an electrical device which regulates power to an LED or string of LEDs, are often designed with varying constructions and are tested in a variety of ways. This approach helps ensure LED drivers are interchangeable in most cases without the need for additional testing. 

Leading IP Storage, IP Networking, IP Security, and IP CCTV distributor Lan 1, is partnering with Raytec, the world leading manufacturer of LED lighting for CCTV and general area illumination. Raytec is the newest addition to the Lan 1 portfolio and is their sole lighting partner in Australia.