With the biennial Frankfurt Light + Building Fair just closing, the number of exhibitors at 2018 Hong Kong International Lighting Fair (Spring edition), held from April 6-9th, was much lower than last year, but many major lighting firms still set up booths at the fair to display their star products, such as T5 and T8 LED tubes by Forest Lighting, down light and panel light by TCL Lighting, and filament lamp by Sky-Lighting. Some exhibitors displayed products targeting niche markets, underscoring their attempt to skip red-ocean competition amid the increasingly saturated lighting market.

Forest Lighting's exhibits are similar to those of last year. (Source: LEDinside)

Booth of COB assembler Guangzhou LEDteen Optoelectronics (Source: LEDinside)

Lattice Energy Technology Corp., a Taiwanese firm, showcased a LED auto lamp, dubbed "Bat Eye," at the exhibition, which doubles as an event data recorder. Its brightness is adjustable in three levels, with the highest reaching 400 lumens. Its video quality reaches 1920x1080 full HD, with its recorded videos capable of Wi-Fi transmission, via the control of mobile-phone app.

Lattice Energy displays (from the left) Bright Eye sensor lights, “Bat Eye” auto lamp, and aquarium lamp. (Source: LEDinside)

Backed by its expertise in lens and optics, Lattice Energy, founded in 2009, has rolled out a number of innovative products, including 3D dual-camera modules, 3D printer scanner lens module, and secondary optical lens. The company has also developed ToF depth-of-field camera modules, applicable in 3D modeling, range finding, and facial or gesture recognition. Huang Tzu-hsiang, marketing manager, noted that the company's ToF camera module zeros in on high-end applications, such as visual lens of robots, VR, and auto touch panel for gesture-sensing operation.

Huang further pointed out that the company's aquarium lamp, a fruit of three-year R&D, is meant for use in coral-breeding aquariums capable of creating an optimal environment for the growth of corals. The lamp can create a simulated 24-hour sunny environment, with three options of light (blue light, white light, and UV light) and lens featuring adjustable angles, plus capability for manipulation with mobile-phone app via Bluetooth. The pricey lamp targets customers in island nations and aquariums, according to Huang.

(Source: LEDinside)

Lattice Energy has been offering integrated lighting solutions, covering lens, lamps, software/hardware, and cloud-end service, on the cutting edge of the market.

MANOLED, a member of Hong Kong's ITOKA group, showcased mainly residential lighting products, including special filament lamps with a tiered arrangement for lighting strips, and Uri-series bulb lamp, made of acrylic sheets imported from Japan, which are cut into 12 pieces with lasers before being joined with tenons and mortises. The uniform space between each acrylic piece, which is angled at around 30 degrees, ensures an even light distribution.    

(Source: LEDinside)

The lamp base contains patented transformer and heat-dissipation modules, plus LED chip, with the options of Wi-Fi, RF, and Bluetooth modules, for Internet access and smart function, such as remote control of switch. It can be used with mainstream virtual assistant software such as Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home. Stressing decorative effect and appearance design, the product targets high-end markets, with major customers being European and Japanese hotels now.

A lamp-housing contract manufacturer for Osram and Philips, YLI Industry Sdn Bhd, a Malaysian firm, displayed its own-branded lamps at the exhibition, including LED down lights, bay lights, streetlamps, panel lamps, and LED tubes, boasting certifications in various nations, mainly for commercial lighting in Southeast Asia now. With its emphasis on quality, the company is hopeful that it can eventually attract more contract manufacturing opportunities in the future, despite having a major disadvantage against Chinese manufacturers who are capable of offering lower prices in the market. "Malaysia is just as capable as everyone else when it comes to producing great quality LED lighting products. We aren’t just known for our durians," the company’s global sales manager, Tang De-Jun, jokingly remarked. Aware that there is still room for growth in Malaysia’s young lighting market, the company will continue to increase its focus on innovative lighting products.

YLI panel lamp boasts even light and long product life (Source: LEDinside)