The LED market contracted for the first time in 2015, reporting a decline of 3%, due to drastic price cuts. However, the dire market condition is not expected to persist this year, said Roger Chu, Director of Research, LEDinside at a forum the company organized at Nangang Exhibition Hall in Taipei, Taiwan during Taipei International Lighting Show (TILS 2016), which runs from April 13-16, 2016.

Emerging IR LED market applications in wearables and virtual reality device markets are attracting more manufacturers to join, said representatives from Osram and LiteOn at IR+UV Summit that organized by SEMI that took place at Nangang Exhibition Hall in Taipei, Taiwan on Thursday.

The LED industry is hunting for innovative technologies and application fields, as lighting and backlight market growth wane. UV LEDs over the past year has caught many LED manufacturers attention, the budding UV-A LED market application sector in nail curing, air purification, and printing applications is attracting top LED players including Nichia and Osram to invest in the sector. UV-C LED or DUV LED that has a wavelength ranging from 200 nm to 280 nm remains a market sector that barely exists at the moment, due to certain technical challenges that call for new solutions.

What’s next for the LED industry? Will CSP LEDs become a widely used light source in general lighting? These were some of the questions industry insiders asked at LED Executive Summit 2016 hosted by SEMI, which took place at Nangang Exhibition Centre, Taipei, Taiwan on Wednesday. 

LED automotive lighting market has gained traction over the last few years, and each year manufacturers are developing more advanced products to meet market demands. At Taipei AMPA 2016, which took place at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center and Hall 1 TWTC Exhibition Hall 1 Area A from April 6-9, 2016, LEDinside observed several distinctive market trends:

Market sectors encompassing telecommunications, consumer electronics, innovative energy applications in transportation, electricity generation and other market sectors are increasingly valuing power semiconductor devices as usage of these components spreads throughout above listed markets. The dawn of “smart manufacturing in China” has provided new market opportunities in the power semiconductor industry, and spurred market growth. Some of these trends were discussed at “Power Semiconductor Forum” during SEMICON China 2016 organized by SEMI, which took place on March 17 in Shanghai.

  As LED lighting technology matures and the price of LEDs lighting products crashes to ultra-low prices, where vendors are even giving products away as complimentary goods, many manufacturers are choosing to demonstrate OLED lighting technology and products at the Lighting + Building 2016. These new generation OLED light sources were the new highlights at the exhibition. Quite a few manufacturers showcased OLED technology this year but most of them were Korean, Japanese and European OLED manufacturers. The following are technology developments of these leading OLED companies this year.

There were few innovative breakthrough technologies at this year’s Light+Building show organized by Messe Frankfurt that concluded last Friday in Frankfurt, Germany, manufacturers were more focused on optimizing existing technology. Still LEDinside observed several trends that stood out:

One of the top themes at Light + Building 2016 is the balance between design and function. Under the proposed themes in Hall 3, each luminaire designer and manufacturer have their own featuring products and market positions. Digitalization of light and human centric lighting has been a popular topic in recent years.

Top LED material manufacturer Dow Corning showcased a prototype silicone-based material for UV LED applications at the biennial Light+Building 2016, which takes place this week at Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Center in Germany. 

Maturation of LED lighting technology has driven LED manufacturers to highlight smart lighting and control systems at Light+Building 2016, which takes place this week at Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Center in Germany. Below is a summary of major manufacturers new smart lighting products, and trends we’ve observed:

At the biggest international biannual lighting show, Light +Building 2016 in Frankfurt, Germany, exhibitors try to dazzle visitors with innovative technology or breathtaking visual effects. Samsung, though, has taken a more down to earth approach this year and removed some of the wow factor. Instead, it is focusing on acquiring orders and sealing business deals with products already in the mass production phase at the show.

The pavilions at Light + Building 2016 that runs from March 13-18, at Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Center in Germany, followed the usual arrangements from past years of dividing the exhibitions into main lighting applications and applied categories. The main difference at this year’s show was categorizations were simplified this year. Aside from existing decorative lightings, artistic luminaires, lighting components and technologies, emphasis was drawn to smart lighting and lighting control solutions. Many enterprises had the same booth location to make it easier for visitors to find them.

Lighting innovations from Osram lead the way into the future. Intelligent street lights that find and assign parking places, infrared lighting solutions that unlock smartphones via iris scan or transmitting units integrated into luminaires that  navigate people through buildings are just a few of the new solutions that Osram will present at this year's Light + Building show starting on March 13 in Frankfurt. A focus at the booth will be on intelligent and efficient lighting solutions for cities and buildings, but also present pioneering innovations in other areas. "Our products have set major trends in the lighting market for more than 100 years - and they will also do so at Light + Building 2016", said Olaf Berlien, Chief Executive Officer of OSRAM Licht AG.

At Lighting Japan 2016, many Taiwan- based manufacturers were found to be still optimistic of the Japanese market outlook, while some of the participated exhibitors showcased their products at Lighting Japan for the first time this year. Many of the companies were aiming to find new clients or partners.

Taiwanese LED manufacturer Genesis Photonics Inc. (GPI) has been developing flip chip LEDs for a long time, since 2015 the company released its flip chip integrated high power light source solution last year at Taipei AMPA 2015, which received positive feedback from the industry. In 2016, the company launched an innovative CSP components at LIGHTING JAPAN 2016 that are thinner with higher lumen per watt, enabling ultra- high efficacy of (>200 lm/W), aiming for supplying portable electronics backlights and automotive light source market (TS16949 certified) that requires high reliability.

Reed Japan, the organizer of Nepcon Japan 2016 and Lighting Japan 2016, has made revolutionary changes in its exhibition plan and introduced more advanced technologies and manufacturers to broaden the industry’s horizon. Lighting Japan 2016 held at Tokyo Big Sight from January 13-15 this year showcased advanced smart lighting technologies and international lighting components. In an exclusive interview with LEDinside, Reed Japan Show Director Yuhi Maenozo and the company’s Media Organizer Yuki Omichi, shared some of their valuable insights.

Current LED chip and lamp prices have plummeted because there are too many similar competitors on the market, said Geet van der Meer, Head of Osram's LED Lamps and Systems business unit recently at a Lighting Japan 2016 forum. To cope with the challenging environment, companies are focusing on product quality, design, digitalization and intelligent devices to pave an alternative road map for LED lighting.

Speaking at a forum at Lighting Japan 2016, which runs from January 13-15 this year at Tokyo Big Sight, Japan, Nobel laureate Shuji Nakamura pinpointed GaN-on-GaN LED and Laser Diodes (LD) as the emerging lighting technologies of the future.

One of Japan’s largest lighting exhibitions to be kicked off in 2016, Lighting Japan, will take place on Jan. 13, 2016 this year at Tokyo Big Sight. The show will offer a comprehensive overview of the latest global LED lighting trends in 2016, and new technology developments.

At the show grounds at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in late November, the once exclusive LED lighting show, EcoLightTech Asia 2015 was starting to feature solar panels and air conditioning products. Many foreign buyers from Japan, Korea, Israel and Uganda showed interest in solar panels and air conditioning products.

TP Halo and Thailand’s Provincial Energy Agency are collaborating on launching new LED T8 tube lights in Thailand, said representatives interviewed at EcolightTech Asia 2015, which ran from Nov. 19-21, 2015 at Queen Sirikit Convention Center in Bangkok, Thailand.

Plummeting LED bulb prices has been a major issue around the globe, and the brunt has been felt by Thai LED manufacturers in a way more than ever before. LED bulb and tube prices have fallen drastically over the past year, as much as 50% for LED T8 tube lights. With prices hitting rock bottom, growing number of LED manufacturers are switching to EMC models, according to LEDinside interviews at Ecolight Tech Asia 2015, which took place from Nov. 19-21, 2015 at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) in Bangkok, Thailand.

Returning to EcoLight Tech Asia 2015 show grounds for the second consecutive year, something was distinctively different at the show that runs from November 19 to 21 this year. The show hosted by NCC Exhibition Organizer and Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) added two new energy saving technologies to its show this year—solar panels and air conditioning technologies. 

This year’s Hong Kong International Lighting Show, which ran from Oct. 27-30, 2015 comprised of four fairsThe Hong Kong International Lighting Fair (Autumn Edition), Eco Expo Asia, Hong Kong International Building and Hardware Fair and World of Outdoor Lighting & Lighting Accessories (WOLLA).

Taiwanese manufacturers including Lextar, Prolight Opto, TONS Lighting, Aeon Lighting were proactively expanding trade with oversea lighting manufacturers at the four day Hong Kong International Lighting Fair (Autumn Edition) 2015, which took place at Hong Kong Convention Center from Oct. 27-30, 2015.

The world’s second largest decorative luminaire lighting show, The Hong Kong International Lighting Fair (Autumn Edition), kicked off on Oct. 27 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center. In its 17th year, the four day lighting show was mainly split into two themes “The Hall of Aurora” and “World of Outdoor Lighting and Lighting Accessories.”

Most speakers highlighted niche market applications including UV LED, IR LED and automotive lighting market applications and opportunities, during the afternoon session of LEDforum 2015 this year, which took place last Friday at National Taiwan University Hospital International Convention Center in Taipei, Taiwan.

Numerous experts from the lighting industry and research have come together in Bregenz to analyze trends and technologies for future SSL solutions at the 5th LED professional Symposium +Expo (LpS 2015). The atmosphere is inspiring with discussions and networking taking place throughout. Amongst the more than 100 well-known companies exhibiting this year are the world’s top LED manufacturers Nichia, Cree, Everlight, Lumileds, Osram, Samsung and Seoul Semiconductor. A total of eighteen products have been launched and the best scientific paper has been honored with the LED professional Scientific Award.

A special UV or IR pavilion was set up at this year’s Photonics Festival in Taiwan, which took place earlier this month in Taipei, Taiwan.This is the first time that the show organized by Taiwan’s Photonics Industry & Technology Development Association (PIDA) has highlighted niche UV and IR LED applications, which has benefited attending manufacturers and visitors.