With demand LED backlight applications on the rise, Taiwan LED chip packager Unity Opto Technology expected monthly revenues to hit NT$700 billion (US$23.39 million) in 1Q 11. And the Full-year revenues for 2011 were expected to raise 80% to NT$12 billion from 2010.

Based on the potential 500 billion yuan (NT$2.3 trillion) opportunity in China's next five-year development plan which includes upgrading the LED industry as one of its major goals, a Taiwanese LED street lamp alliance has signed a letter of intent with a Taiwan affairs task force under China's Fujian provincial government to set up a world-class LED lighting company.  

Amtran Technology expected its revenues would reach NT$100 billion (US$3.34 billion) in 2011, with subsidiary Raken Technology completing capacity expansion in 2011 and bringing annual revenues to US$3 billion. A leader of the company noted, 4Q10 would be the most profitable period in 2010 following record sales in November and strong performance in December. And it made Amtran overtake Samsung Electronics as the top TV vendor in North America in 3Q, and it is likely to retain its ranking in 4Q.

Hi Score Corporation has supported a second round of Energy Saving EcoGreenBulb T5 Retrofit Kits as the addition to the original kits delivered earlier this year in Trump Towers of Sunny Isles, Florida. It estimated the conversion will reduce the energy required to light these areas by more than 50%.

With its LED streetlight, Wipro Lighting has won the ‘Design for Asia Merit Recognition Award 2010’.It is the first Indian company that recognizes the most influential design in Asia. The Orio streetlight features a LED technology and minimizes up to 50% of power consumption. The lighting solution is available in 24, 18, and 12 W versions with high power LEDs. The Orio offers 90% recyclability, energy efficiency and durability.

Sainoor - India's premier LED lighting solutions company - showcased some of world's most advanced LED lights during LEDEXPO 2010 at New Delhi from Dec 17 - Dec 19, 2010.  

Recently, LG Display CEO reported that 8.5 G TFT-LCD panel production plants were more competitive than 7.5G and LG Display would become the largest panel supplier in China. He said LG Display would discuss the decision to set up an advanced plant in China and he thought making an early start did not guarantee advantage.

Recently, Formosa Epitaxy announced the inauguration of its LED chip subsidiary based in Yangzhou, China, which could become China's largest epitaxial wafer maker in 2012 when it completed the installation of 50 MOCVD machines. Formosa Epitaxy chairman noted, the company expected LED chip demand return to the levels of the first half of 2010 in February and March of 2011, and mass shipments for applications in tablet PCs would begin in February as well.

Veeco Instruments Inc. (NASDAQ: VECO) announced that Thomas Gutierrez has been appointed to its Board of Directors. Mr. Gutierrez, age 62, currently serves as President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of GT Solar International, Inc. (NASDAQ: SOLR), a global provider of polysilicon production technology, and sapphire and silicon crystalline growth systems and materials for the solar, LED and other specialty markets.

It’s reported that Taiwan-based Company NuLight intends to invest $200 million (around Rs 900 crore) to build a LED manufacturing unit which dedicates to manufacture LED street lamps and household bulbs.

ANC Sports Enterprises announced the company’s continued expansion into televised entertainment through a partnership with StarGames’ special Christmas Day program The Caesars Tribute presented by Colgate Total®: A Salute to the Golden Age of American Skating.

Nexxus Lighting, Inc. (NASDAQ: NEXS) announced its Array™ Lighting LED light bulbs have recently been shipped to a number of significant private and public facilities, who are now enjoying the energy saving and sustainability benefits of LED lighting. Recent projects include the prestigious Wharton School of Business, the Hyatt Regency - Miami, the Maryland Institute of College Arts, the University of Minnesota and Presbyterian Homes in Chicago as well as the King of Prussia Mall, outside of Philadelphia.

Jiangsu Canyang Optoelectronics Co. Officially Starts Production and On-site Facility; Expected to Produce 50 Sets of Equipment in 2011

The full-year revenues for Taiwan-based LED chip maker Epistar was expected to reach NT$20 billion in 2010, up 50% compared to 2009. And Net income for 2010 will range from NT$5.5-6 billion. Meanwhile, the company would take NT$800 million for the employee bonuses, and everyone would receive over NT$200,000 on average, with 3,700 employees. Also, Epistar planed to raise salaries by 8% on average.

Digital Lumens Inc. has signed up United States Cold Storage Inc., a Pennsylvania-based refrigerated storage and logistics company to strengthen the customer base for its highly-efficient LED lighting systems. According to Digital Lumens, the company had the lighting systems installed in a new 88,000-square-foot addition in Hazleton, Pa., and expects a return on investment of 14.6 months.

According to a statement from African Standard Bank, it has bought 700,000 UN-backed carbon credits to fund a clean energy project to replace kerosene lamps with LED lamps in 31-million Tanzanian homes. The project, owned by Illumination Tanzania, will save the nation around $200 million (about Sh280 billion). And it will reduce Tanzania’s greenhouse gas emissions by 800,000 tonnes.

The vertically-integrated manufacturer , Rubicon is opening a plant in Penang, Malaysia,to further demonstrate its leadership role in the production of high quality, large diameter sapphire wafers. The Malaysia facility combined with Rubicon's new crystal growth facility in Batavia, IL have been established to deliver the sapphire capacity necessary to support the growing demand for LEDs in the consumer electronics and general lighting industries.

Everlight Electronics reportedly planed to invest Beijing to expand its market share in China's LED market.

In Taiwan market, it’s said that the sales of LED-backlit LCD monitor in 3Q10 reached 125,000 units, with a 25% share in the overall local LCD monitor market. While In 1Q10, the sales were only 26,000 units and up to 30,000 units in 2Q10, with less than 10% share .

Toshiba reportedly planed to sell two million LCD TVs in the China market in the fiscal year of 2011 ended March 2012, which was four times its current target for 2010 fiscal year ended March 2011. In order to achieve the aim, the company would introduce a broad line-up of nine series and a total of 24 models, including high value added TVs.

At the recent Beijing-Taiwan Science and Technology Forum held in Taichung, Taiwan, a leader of Taiwan-based LED chip maker Epistar said, if production cost of lighting-grade LED chips would fall to US$1/500lm in the next 2-3 years, LED lighting's market penetration would reach 20-30% in 2012.

Veeco Instruments Inc. (Nasdaq: VECO), announced that it has shipped its 200thTurboDisc(R) K465i(TM) Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) System to a leading LED manufacturer located in Asia.

Energy & Automation Inc. (E&A) will set up a 30,000-square-foot facility which be called LED Manufacturing Inc. to manufacture and assemble LEDs in the Luling Business/Industrial Park on U.S. Highway 183 in Luling, Texas. The new plant will provide energy-efficient, long-lasting lights for residential, commercial and industrial consumers across the country.

Facility Supports Increasing Demand for High Quality, Large Diameter Sapphire at High Volume

The Mexican municipality has announced plans to install 25,507 GE Evolve LED street lights in Quintana Roo, which would be the largest installation of LED street lights in Latin America.

AIXTRON AG announced a repeat order for multiple MOCVD reactors from existing customer HUGA Optotech. The order comprises a double-digit number of AIX G5 HT 14x4-inch configuration deposition systems. HUGA Optotech placed the order in the course of 2010 and after delivery of the systems between the fourth quarter of 2010 and the first quarter of 2011, they will be used for the production of GaN-based materials for ultra-high brightness (UHB) blue LEDs.

Industry sources noted Everlight Electronics’ LED backlight products had entered the supply chain of table PCs, and the shipment for LED backlight products was expected to increase several times in 2011.

It’s reported that Taiwan-based LED chip maker Huga Optotech was accused by patent licensing company Bluestone Innovations, because Bluestone thought Huga had infringed upon its intellectual property in Group III-V nitride production process. Huga was seeking legal council to decrease the impact on its operation.

LG Innotek, a subsidiary of Korea’s LG Group, has developed a partnership with lighting firm Zumtobel Group of Dornbirn, Austria to transfer high-volume business in LED backlights for LCD screens to the field of professional lighting.

As the first power LED manufacturer in mass production on 150 mm wafers , Philips Lumileds is manufacturing millions of GaN based LEDs weekly on the larger substrates. According to Matthijs Glastra, Executive Vice President of Worldwide Operations for Philips Lumileds, “The addition of 150 mm manufacturing capacity to our existing capability leverages our epitaxy and wafer fabrication technology excellence and gives Lumileds the capacity to produce billions of LUXEON LEDs annually.”