Operations for LED manufacturers in the first quarter are hoped to show good performance, according to UDN Evening News report. Increased operations in Jan. 2014 have lead to many manufacturers continual growth. Due to the strong revenues, the market is optimistic and anticipates financial results from 1Q14 slack season financial reports to show a revenue  decline  within  5-10 percent. Among these manufacturers, Edison Opto has been able to secure new clients.

Barbican Center, Europe's largest multi-arts and conference venue, has commissioned the multi-disciplinary art and design studio United Visual Artists to create a new work for the Curve. Coinciding with their 10th anniversary, UVA present Momentum, an immersive installation that combines light, sound and movement. 

LED upstream key material PSS is in short supply with demands unable to be met. With supply unable to meet demands from LED manufacturers last year, production capacity is lacking by 50 percent, according to Economic Daily News. This had lead to a rise in price of around 5 percent for sapphire ingot, polished wafers, and PSS in March. Manufacturers including Crystalwise, Ridgetech, Aceplux Optotech, and Crystal Applied Technology are anticipated to benefit. PSS industry insiders are optimistic towards March operations.

Morgan Stanley’s recent report shows that the use of flip-chips in direct-lit TVs has increased, according to a report by Apple Daily. This will give a boost to LED chip and package manufacturers this year, as well as contributions from the rise in average price for TV backlighting. The firm is optimistic that Epistar and Everlight will benefit and has boosted Epistar's ratings and maintained Everlight's ratings.

Taiwanese LED package manufacturer Ledtech revenue and preliminary profit for January was affected by the shorter Chinese New Year holidays. Consolidated revenue for January only reached NT $137 million (US $4.5 million), a monthly drop of 19.65 percent and YoY decrease of 7.48 percent. January preliminary pre-tax profit was NT $11.6 million, YoY decrease of 32.3 percent and EPS of NT $0.1 (before tax).

Patent wars are intensifying and spreading as the LED industry rebounds. Patent disputes within the industry are not solely centered on LED package manufacturers Nichia and Everlight. The industry has begun to focus on Boston University’s  expanding extent of legal actions taken towards patent infringement.

The Chinese government LED equipment subsidy policies lead to a global increase of more than 1,000 MOCVD equipment in 2011, which is the root to the industry’s oversupply situation, according to a Chinese-language Commercial Times report. Manufacturers have yet to fully install and utilize all the units purchased.

Global leading LED company, Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd. has announced on February 13th that it has achieved the company’s greatest sales revenue, reaching 1.0321 trillion Korean won and an operating profit of 965 hundred million Korean won in 2013. In comparison to 2012, the company’s sales increased by 20% and the operating profit by 190%.

A new cause campaign, ‘Brighter Lives for Refugees’ will run in IKEA stores globally from 3 February to 29 March 2014. For every LEDARE (LED light bulb) sold during the campaign, the IKEA Foundation will donate Є1 (US$1.37) to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR). Funds raised by the campaign will help to provide solar street lights, indoor solar lanterns, and other renewable energy technologies such as fuel efficient cooking stoves in UNHCR refugee camps in countries including Ethiopia, Chad, Bangladesh and Jordan. 

LEDinside team would like to wish all a Happy Valentine’s Day and a merry Lantern Festival. This week more exciting Apple rumors, LEDinside Senior Editor Pinchun Chou latest scoop points to iPhone 6 specs becoming thinner, lighter and wider screened. In addition, the LED specs for the phones will be upgraded as a result of the much slimmer designs. 

As countries kick off incandescent bulb phase out policies, soaring LED lighting demands has attracted market attention. Credit Suisse latest report is optimistic that the LED industry will enter another expansion phase in 2014. In addition, LED stocks will also be on the rise this year. 

China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) recently announced it will be strongly promoting energy efficiency and carbon emission reduction policies in 2014, according to a Chinese-language Huagu.com report. The implementation of the country’s “2014-2015 Carbon Reduction Plan” is expected to spur LED market development in China. 

Apple has filed for a new flexible OLED display patent, and is rumored to be developing a bezel-free iPhone display, according to numerous media reports.

U.S. singer Katy Perry’s favorite clothing brand CuteCircuit, recently showcased its latest collection of interactive wearable LED miniskirts, jackets and accessories controllable by iPhones at Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week on February 12th at 5pm.

Hubbell Lighting, a world leader in lighting innovation, announced the release of the 2014 lighting education course schedule at its state-of-the-art Lighting Solutions Center (LSC).  The schedule is available at www.lightingsolutionscenter.com.  

Taiwanese LED secondary optic lens manufacturer LedLink has received orders from three major international lighting brands and from other regional LED luminaire manufacturers this year, according to a Chinese-language Economic Daily News report. The company hopes its market share will increase from 35 percent in 2013 to 40 to 50 percent in 2014.

The financial industry’s interest has obviously increased as the Taiwan LED industry recovers. Rising LED lighting market penetration rates will lead to improvements in Taiwan LED industry demand and supply situation resulting in overall industry growth. In turn, manufacturers’ better gross margin performances will also boost stockholders Return On Equity (ROE), 

Taiwanese LED manufacturers Jan. 2014 performances showed stellar results spurred by rising lighting and backlight demands. Taiwanese LED package manufacturer Everlight product growth momentum was evenly distributed in 1Q14, and there has been good backlight and lighting demands, said the company Chairman Robert Yeh. The company expects increased 1Q14 revenue growth compared to 4Q13.

Two U.S. cities Detroit and Philadelphia have recently announced plans of upgrading to LED streetlights, according to recent U.S. media reports.

Rubicon Technology, Inc., a leading provider of sapphire substrates and products to the LED, semiconductor, and optical markets, announced that it will showcase large-diameter patterned sapphire substrates (PSS) as well as its line of 6”polished sapphire wafers for the LED industry at LED Korea 2014 at COEX, Seoul, Korea, February 12-14, 2014. Rubicon will exhibit its line of sapphire products in Booth #4707.

CIMCON Lighting, Inc., a provider of intelligent, centralized Wireless Outdoor Lighting Management Systems, today announced its immediate support for the NEMA's recently published "ANSI C136.41-2013" standard for external locking type dimming and management controllers into its iSLC series of Street and Roadway Lighting product line.

Tanlong Photoelectronics will benefit from Apple’s push in the sapphire substrate market, Aastocks.com cited a member from the Chinese company’s security department saying. Although, there has been no growth in the company’s sapphire growth furnace orders, increased downstream demands are expected to spur the company’s furnace sales.

Mexico’s Secretariat of Energy has announced the effective date for 40W and 60W incandescent phase out will be extended to Dec. 31, 2014, according to an article by Chinese-language media CAIT. The effective date of the phase out was first announced in Dec. 2010 and originally scheduled for Dec. 31, 2013. 

Certain events beneficial to the LED industry have occurred in the past few weeks. UBS Analyst Fredric Stahl noted Philips LED lighting business 4Q13 revenue has soared 48 percent compared to the same period in 2012. Osram also reported the company’s LED lighting business had grown 28 percent in 4Q13 compared to 4Q12,

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) published white paper NEMA LSD 68 Remote Phosphor Devices Used in LED Lamps, Engines and Luminaires.

The Art & Culture Program at Denver International Airport (DIA) is pleased to present a light art exhibition for passengers and airport visitors to experience at the Art Gallery on level 5 of Jeppesen Terminal beginning in February and concluding in early May. The exhibition titled, A Light Journey, features works by local artists Dorothy Tanner and the late Mel Tanner of Denver-based Lumonics Light & Sound Gallery.

As the market continues to speculate iPhone 6 specs and release dates, industry insiders have revealed iPhone 6 monitor size will be expanded to 4.7 inches. Besides larger sizes, the new generation iPhone will maintain its advantages in lightness. As a result industry rumors have surfaced that the new generation iPhone LED backlight specs will also become much lighter.

GE Lighting today announced the settlement of a patent infringement lawsuit filed in December 2012 against CRS Electronics Inc.

ElectroniCast Consultants, a leading market/technology consultancy, today announced the release of a new market study of the global consumption of packaged light emitting diodes (LEDs) used in Biophotonic and Medical Science devices.  

Revolution Lighting Technologies (“Revolution Lighting”), a leader in advanced LED lighting technology, provided a business update prior to announcing financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2013 on March 13, 2014.