Another year has come to a close. As 2014 kicks off, the LEDinside editorial team  has compiled the market expectations for this year.

UBS Outlook for LED Chip, Package, and Light Source Manufacturers in 2014

LED chip supply and demand will balance out, with possible increase in shipment volume and gross profit in the future. There were limited expansion of chip production in 2013 with around 20-30 percent chips manufacturered were invalid. With LED lighting rapidly growing, supply and demand for the domestic LED chip industry has already balanced out. We anticipate that LED chips shipments and gross profit will increase in 2014. Leading manufacturers with advantages in scale, cost and that have government backing have the potential  to increase competitiveness. Read More

Stanley Electric Upbeat about Future LED Automotive Lighting Opportunities

LED lighting applications are gradually maturing following the increase in LED luminosity and plunging prices. High entry barrier and cooperative stability makes the automotive lighting market a field LED manufacturers are anxious to enter. Lighting Japan 2014 therefore increased the number of LED automotive application lighting conferences.  Global automotive light manufacturer Stanley Electric was invited to discuss LED development in the automotive lighting market and speak about the new ADB (adaptive driving beam) headlight which is able to automatically adjust the headlight to suit the situation. Read More

LED Driver IC Benefits from Rise in LED Lighting Demands

LED driver IC is unsurprisingly the upcoming star of 2014, spurred by the increasing demand for LED general lighting. However, the driver IC market appears to commoditize rapidly with competition from China vendors. According to a recent report by Morgan Stanley, LED general lighting penetration rate is estimated to reach 17percent in 2014, up from 8 percent in 2013. LED lighting penetration rate is anticipated  to rise to 44 percent by 2016. Each light needs an LED driver IC to control the electric current and, in some cases, offer dimming function. The volume for LED driver ICs will thus grow proportionally with LED lighting. Read More

Display Market Opportunities Abundant Due to Technology Improvements and Replacemenat Demands

RGB package technology continues to advance. As LED package components shrink, display dimensions follow suit, gradually reducing in size. This as well as improvements to driver IC and backend system technology is driving up display resolution and color performance. Technological improvements and increased demand for displays used in outdoor commercial, public buildings, and indoor commercial spaces is anticipated to drive up the display replacement trend in 2014. Industry insiders are optimistic about the development of the display market for 2014. Read More

Unity Opto Anticipates LED Industry to Thrive in 2014

Unity Opto Chairman Wu Ching-huei during the company’s year-end celebration on the 13th stated that LED lighting will be a thriving industry in 2014, according to Chinese-language newspaper Economic Daily News. The company’s lighting revenue will double this year with potential opportunity in January to increase revenue 30 percent month on month (MoM). The LED lighting industry is anticipated to boom this year with many manufacturers profiting, especially high-end chips where demand exceeds supply, said Wu. Read More

Conclusion:

The LED industry started off on the right foot for 2014. This year will bring ample business opportunities for LED manufacturers with demand for LED general lighting rising due to the ban on incandescent bulbs. Benefits from increasing demand in general lighting will trickle down to other areas in the LED industry. 

(Translator: Leah Allen, Editor and Translator, LEDinside)