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.

As LED enters conventional peak season in March it will initiate the LED lighting cycle, with demands estimated to return to peak heights in 2010, according to latest research by Guotai Junan Securities. The Chinese financial institute projected sapphire substrate prices will continue its upward climb in 2014 and enter the big LED trend.

Leyard has become the global leading manufacturer for LED small pitch TV displays. The company currently has a market share of 80 percent for 2.5mm and below small pitch displays, according to a recent report by Everbright Securities. 

LED lighting remains the largest market for sapphire application. LED has become a huge competitor for traditional lighting despite of higher costs. High prices, however, are a temporary problem. At-Vac believes that continual advancement of epitaxial wafer technology and LED lighting equipment’s current price fall trend will help lower retail prices. 

Lextar Electronics Corp. (“Lextar” or the “Company) reported consolidated revenue for the fourth quarter of 2013 of NT$ 3.32 billion (US$ 110 million) Consolidated gross margin was 10.1 percent, net profit for 4Q 2013 was NT$ 33 million. Consolidated revenue for full-year 2013 was NT$ 13.75 billion on year. Consolidated gross margin was 12.7 percent. Full-year net profit was NT$ 948 million. Earnings per share were NT$ 1.25.

U.S. cities are overhauling old lighting systems with energy efficient LED streetlights, as the energy efficient lights are much brighter than conventional lights, energy efficient and provide higher cost-saving capacity. However, blue-rich LED lights can disrupt the circardian rhythm of humans, animals, and even plants according to an article by Earth Island Journal.

Pictures have been leaked recently for the HTC One M8 which will be available later this month. More pictures have emerge this week showing a unique LED application to the phone’s design. 

The gradually maturing LED industry is also driving up light measurement demands. Taiwanese manufacturer UPRtek released its first popular portable spectrometer MK35ON in 2012. The company followed up on this success with the launch of a newer and more professional spectrometer, the MK350S Advanced in late 2013. 

Philips Hue has officially entered the Chinese market. Philips announced the arrival of Hue during an event at Shanghai Xintiandi on March 7th. It will be available for purchase at Apple Stores around China and online. 

Epistar’s February 2014 revenue outperformed initial estimations, according to Morgan Stanley. Growing lighting demands drove up revenue and operating margin. Client orders in 2Q14 exceeded the company’s production capacity, which will be beneficial in improving its product portfolio and increasing product’s Average Selling Price (ASP). 

Corning Glass Senior Vice President Tony Tripeny had some not so nice words to say about sapphire during a Q&A session at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on March 4. The company blasted the material in defense of their Gorilla Glass. 

Rise in lighting demands are driving up global LED market sales. Philips Electronics (Thailand) anticipate substantial growth in sales for the lighting sector this year. 

Drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists in Shoreline have safer roads at night, now that Seattle City Light has completed the conversion of streetlights on arterial roads to energy efficient LED technology.

The DOE has released two new reports this week on the LED MR16 lamps and retail lamps. In the sapphire field, diversified sapphire substrate applications continue to contribute to sapphire manufacturer profits, while China’s MOCVD market is still to prove itself internationally. Epistar deal with Philips last week gives it an edge in Taiwan’s patent market. For more info please see below:

“Technology is the future” was Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing’s slogan during an interview with local media Mingpao.com this week. He urged the special administrative region to focus more attention on innovative technology as it will become the driving force for the economy and alleviate poverty. For Li, the first step towards changing the world is as simple as switching to LEDs.

The LED industry has experienced unusually good performance during traditional slack season, according to a report by United Evening News. Backlight module manufacturers Unity Opto, Lextar, and Tekcore are optimistic as market demands for backlight rise. Benefiting from high resolution TV trend, TV backlight's high brightness demands have become even more evident, said industry insiders. Prices have stabilized following increase in luminosity despite fewer LED’s used and market polarization has become more evident as large companies expand. 

The LED industry took a hit in Feb. 2014 from fewer work days, due to Chinese Lunar New Year. Many manufacturers saw a dip in revenue from Jan. 2014. In comparison to the previous year manufacturers are seeing higher revenues due to increased demands in LED lighting. LED chip manufacturers Epistar and Epileds showed atypical growth in revenue this Feb. 2014 despite the traditional slack season, demonstrating  outstanding operational performance. 

The U.S. Department of Energy's CALiPER program has released a Snapshot Report on MR16 lamps, which utilizes the LED Lighting Facts® program's extensive product database to help industry stakeholders understand the current state and trajectory of the market for that class of products.