It is reported by Reuters on 30^th of Jan that a spokesman of lighting manufacturer Osram announced the company has been approved by the German government to sell its Lamps unit to an association of Chinese bidders for 400 million euros (USD 425 million).

(Osram/ LEDinside)

Once selling its traditional lamps and lighting unit, Osram will be able to focus on more competitive businesses such as LED chips and automotive lighting. At present, the sale is still under the assessment of the U.S Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and a Chinese regulator.

CFIUS blocked Philips from selling Lumileds, Philips’ lighting component division, to Asian buyers in 2015 for the fear that China might be able to get access to and subvert the U.S high-tech sector. Eventually, Philips agreed to sell it to Apollo Global Management for USD 1.5 billion.

In July 2016, Osram divested LEDvance, Osram’s biggest lamps and lighting unit, to a Chinese consortium including IDG Capital Partners, MLS, and Yiwu State-Owned Assets Operation Center.

As most of the lighting manufacturers are focusing on more power-efficient lighting, such as LED and its diverse applications in different fields, Chinese buyers are attempting to expand their businesses abroad by getting access to more channels in Europe and the U.S. Therefore, those sales from big lighting companies are undoubtedly what they are looking for.