Highlights this week:

• There has been a lot of activity going on in the UV LED market in the last two weeks, Japanese media Nikkei reports have pointed out UV LED manufacturer Nikkiso is collaborating with Formosa Plastics Group to build the world’s largest UV LED factory in Taiwan.
• Dow Chemical and DuPont’s equal merge last week, implies advantages in LED material and UV LED development, but could also raise the bar considerably for other material manufacturers to break through their comprehensive patent networks.
• Apple is once again under the spotlight, following a Bloomberg report that revealed the company has set up a secret lab in Taiwan to work on iPad or iPhone display technology.
• LED equipment maker Aixtron is under the fire of investors, after the company announced it will only be delivering three out of 50 orders to San’an Opto. The company claimed last week the deal was called off by the Chinese LED chip maker because the equipment were not meeting there required standards.
• Philips is going through a bit of a rough patch this week. The good news is its partnership with Cisco is expected to usher in a lot of changes in commercial smart lighting, and for the better. The bad news is Philips Lighting has continued to shut down certain production plants in U.S., and the Royal Philips group announced halting a buyback of 21 million shares. The company statement did not specify whether it was lighting shares or other business shares buyback. Additionally, Hue software update upset certain users for blocking third-party bulbs, and it had to quickly reverse the software update.

Editor Recommendations

1. Implications from Philips and Cisco Partnership
2. Nikkiso Partners up with Formosa Plastics Group to Build World’s Largest UV LED Factory in Taiwan
3. MLS Denies Rumors of Acquiring Epistar
4. Philips Shuts Down Lighting Plant in North Carolina, Halts Buyback of 21.36M Shares
5. Rosen Law Firm Investigates Securities Claims against Aixtron
6. Nationstar Signs Two Equipment Procurement Contracts Totaling RMB 150M
7. TongYiFang Optoelectronic Expands Business Strategy to Target Specialized Markets
8. Dow Chemical and DuPont’s Merge’s Mark on the LED Industry
9. Apple Working on Display Technology at Secret Lab in Taiwan
10. Philips Hue Reverts Software Update to Include Third-Party Bulbs

Government projects

1. UK Council Insists LED Streetlight Upgrade Despite Complaints from Residents
2. Gloucester City in Massachusetts Chooses Warmer Colored LED Streetlights over Harsh White Lights
3. Telensa Starts Installation of Smart LED Streetlight Control System across Gloucestershire
4. Connecticut Town to Convert 2,358 Streetlights to LED
5. US City Upgraded with Smart City LED Streetlights to Save on Energy Consumption
6. Canadian City to Upgrade 14K Streetlights to LEDs
7. Product Formats as Top Ten Challenges for LED Lighting

What’s trending

1. Building Components for GaN Power Switches
2. NEMA Praises U.S. DOE’s Regulatory Decision Affecting HID Lamps as Traditional Lighting Shipment Declines
3. NEMA Reports Strong Quarter for LED A-Line Lamps, Lighting System Components Shows Mixed Results
4. ASC Releases New ANSI C136 38-2015 American National Standard for Roadway and Area Lighting Equipment Standard
5. German Researchers Explore Doped Organic Semiconductors
6. Rethinking Lighting as a Service

Product Recalls

• Lithonia Lighting Recalls Light Fixtures Due to Risk of Falling Impact
• Sears Canada Recalls Decorative LED String Lights Made in China

Industry News

1. DuPont and Dow Chemical to Combine in Merger of Equals
2. Dow Chemical Acquires 100% Stake in Dow Corning
3. RVLT Supplies LED Lighting Solutions for Private Medical Facility in Argentina
4. Leading UV LED Manufacturer SETI Acquires Nitek Commercial Operations
5. Zhaga Releases Book 13 for Standardized LED Drivers
6. Philips Hue Latest Update Locks out Third-Party Smart Bulbs
7. Orion Energy Systems Granted New LED Troffer Retrofit Light Fixture Systems U.S. Patent
8. Gooee Releases World’s First Enterprise IoT Gateway for Lighting and Sensing
9. LG Display to Focus on OLED Lighting as Next Growth Engine
10. Calibre Brings Retro Arcade Gaming to Large LED Screens at ISE 2016
11. NVC Lighting: Harsh Winter Ahead for Chinese LED SMEs

New Products

1. Osram Adds New Warm Glow LEDs to Its Product Portfolio
2. GreenPeak Introduces New Wireless LED Lighting Solution
3. Sengled Unveils Latest Smart Bulb Product: Element Touch
4. Excelitas Technologies Releases New LED Illuminator for Microscopy
5. Vauxhall's Astra with LED Matrix Headlights Lets Driver See Clearer
6. New ŠKODA Superb Upgraded with Adaptive Lightings
7. New High Brightness Single Rank Chip LEDs from ROHM for Industrial Equipment
8. Amerlux's Title 24 Qualified Fixtures Cuts Energy Bills for Commercial Illuminations
9. CSL Releases New LED Luminaires for Architectural Illumination
10. Everlight Electronics Unveils New 6-Pin SDIP Optocouplers for Industrial Applications
11. LED Filament Bulb from Super Trend Lighting Adds Retro Apeal to Illumination
12. Yah Juang Enterprise to Showcase Smart Lighting Technology
13. Bulbrite Adds Candelier LED Filament Bulb to Product Portfolio
14. Flip Chip Opto Unveils New High Power Flip Chip COB LED

Lighting Projects

1. Illuminating UK Castle with New Lighting Technology
2. Sydney Landmarks Lit up with Colorful LED Projections
3. SGM Illuminates Popular Broadway Musical at Sibiu International Theatre Festival
4. Clay Paky Lightens up Moscow Skyline
5. Lighting a Celestial Stage
6. SGM's LED Spotlights Lights up UK Open-air Theatre
7. LED Bulbs from Philips Highlight 2016 Times Square Ball Numerals in NYC
8. Seattle’s St. James Cathedral Glows with Digitized LEDs from Lumenpulse