Taiwanese chip manufacturer Formosa Epitaxy (Forepi) has become one of three large suppliers for Samsung LED TVs. The company anticipates large shipment volumes in 1Q14 to help contribute to revenue proportions increasing from 15 percent to 20 percent this year, according to Investor. Legal persons estimate that Forepi 2Q14 will turn loss into profit, giving this year an opportunity to have a turnaround.

The LED industry after entering into the lighting era still continues to face pressure to lower prices. LED manufacturers have thus begun competitively pushing their way into package free chip development. Manufacturers like Philips Lumileds, Toshiba, TSMS Solid State Lighting, Epistar, and Formosa Epitaxy have already begun promoting package free chip products.

To welcome the LED lighting era, Taiwan LED wafer manufacturer Formosa Epitaxy (ForEpi) Project Manager Li Renzhi stated that as the LED industry develops into an M shaped trend, highly priced but small volume products have occupied one end of the spectrum and products with large volume but pricing considerations are on the other. Continuing reduction in price for LED chips has lead to manufacturers entering into package free wafer R&D. ForEpi’s launched their Package Free Chips and through high efficiency, large luminosity angles, and more plan to break into the LED market.

Following international lighting giants Philips, OSRAM, and GE shift towards LED lighting, local manufacturers from various countries followed suit. CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets most recent report showed a good outlook for LED lighting market development in 2014 and believes that LED lighting demands will be the driver for LED manufacturing capital expenditures in 2014. They predict that global numbers for new MOCVD units in 2014 will increase compared to 2013, reaching an estimated 390 units.

Epistar, recently pulled aside the curtains to reveal a hint of its next big-time product late this year to boost revenue, with industry insiders guessing the new launch to be automotive LEDs. Other major LED companies in Taiwan, including Everlight, Lextar, Unity Opto Technology, Formosa Epitaxy, are all reportedly aggressively developing business in this lucrative field with low profile. Epistar's high-voltage LED successfully tapped into Philips' supply chain in 2012, and the company has been aggressively trying to widen the gap with its mainland Chines...

On December 24, more than 30 Taiwanese LED manufacturers have formed LED Lighting Industry Alliance, aiming at facilitating information exchange among member firms and offering suggestions to the government regarding the industry. Everlight, Lextar, Formosa Epitaxy Inc, Unity Opto Technology and Delta Electronics are among the participants. The alliance was previously known as the LED Street Lighting Industry Alliance, when it was established in 2011 by Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI). “We have made our first step in standa...

Taiwanese LED chip supplier Formosa Epitaxy Inc has announced to intend to issue as many as 120 million new shares at NT$19.6 per share to China’s Sanan Optoelectronics Co.by a private placement. Through the NT$2.35 billion (US$80.8 million) deal, Sanan Optoelectronics will acquire 19.9 percent of Formosa Epitaxy via its 100-percent owned Xiamen subsidiary and will become the firm’s largest shareholder, ahead of Japan’s Mitsui & Co, which holds 15 percent. According to Formosa Epitaxy said in a filing to the Taiwan Stock Exchange, t...

Taiwan Formosa Epitaxy Inc. (FOREPI) is reported to sign a deal to form an alliance with BOE Co., Ltd. by allowing BOE to hold part of its stocks. The company chooses FOREPI as its partner based on the Taiwanese company’s quality and past cooperation with LCD makers Chimei Innolux Corp. and Samsung. It comes on the heel of San’an Optoelectronics Co., Ltd., mainland China LED chipmaker, which is reported to invest in Genesis Photonics Inc. According to Industry executives, BOE has branched out into LED lighting from TV m...

Taiwan LED makers Unity Opto, I-Chiun Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Leadlink, Lextar and Formosa Epitaxy seen to have brisk sales in August. Unity Opto, I-Chiun, and Leadlink saw sales hit new highs in July and are estimated to score another high in August in the regularly busy third quarter. According to industry executives, capacity utilization of Taiwan’s LED industry is still on the climb, leading to satisfactory earnings in the first half of 2012 at most of the island’s LED makers. They felt that these manufacturers would be more profit...

As Guangdong government has come out the policy to make LED transition within three years in public place, Taiwan LED manufacturers including Epistar, Unity Opto Technology have received increasing LED lighting orders from mainland China. Meanwhile, Taiwan companies such as Everlight and AcBel Polytech Inc. are actively building marketing channel in Guangdong. According to the policy issued by Guangdong government in May, the city will forced to promote new LED lighting installation in public place within three years. It’s considered to be the stronge...

Recently, Japanese LED product supplier Toyoda Gosei Co. Ltd. has filed a lawsuit with the Taoyuan District Court in northern Taiwan, accusing its Taiwanese counterpart Formosa Epitaxy Inc. of infringing on two patents asserted by the Japanese firm related to GaN-based LED chip production. According to Hsu Hung-sheng, a lawyer for the Japanese firm, said his client has sought damages from Formosa Epitaxy and requested the court issue an injunction to bar the Taiwanese defendant from manufacturing and selling the disputed LED products. Additionally, not...

Taiwan-based Formosa Epitaxy and its affiliate, Jiangsu Canyang Corporation has ordered Veeco's recently released TurboDisc MaxBright multi-reactor MOCVD System for production of HB LEDs. It’s said that Veeco's MaxBright system is designed for HBLED production and is available in a 2 or 4-reactor cluster architecture and delivers up to a 500% productivity gain and 2.5x increase in footprint efficiency over its K465i reactor.  ...

Formosa Epitaxy is specialized in LED chip and wafer production, its product lines including blue, green, UV LED chips. Currently, Formosa Expitaxy is not only holding a significant role in the LED backlight market through joint-ventures with the downstream panel makers, but also actively tapping into the lighting market. Recently, it has further forged a strategic partnership with Mitsui&Co., LTD, one of the Japanese largest enterprises, receiving much attention from the LED market and industry. In the increasingly fierce competition in LED industry, Formosa Epitaxy has found out its outlets by means of joint venture and alliance.

According to institutional investors, based on the Japanese government will focus more on use of renewable energy and LEDs after the destructive catastrophe, Taiwanese LED industry may benefit from Japan`s post-earthquake reconstruction . Due to the massive earthquake and the recent nuclear power crisis in Japan, it’s likely to concentrate on the use of renewable energy and green products. It’s estimated that the post-earthquake reconstruction will cost the country several trillion Japanese yen and LEDs will be increasingly needed in Japan. As a result, T...

It’s reported that Japan-based Mitsui & Co, which had a huge business network with business involving in the monitor and automobile industries, would purchase 74.693 million to Taiwan LED chipmaker Formosa Epitaxy’s private placement, with having a 15% stake, while Unity Opto Technology would increase its investment and purchase 15.307 million of stake.

According to a report in Taiwan Economic News, Frank Chien, chairman of Taiwanese LED maker Formosa Epitaxy predicted that the rise of table PCs may drive shortage of high-end LED chips starting February 2011 at the earliest. Chien confirms that Formosa Epitaxy started delivering LEDs for tablet PCs in October.

China's central government held its first-ever open tender for LED products in November. 28 Chinese-funded companies have won the bid, and many of them have promised to use Epistar's crystalline grains, which means that Epistar grasped the opportunity to join the government-funded green light projects.

Recently, Formosa Epitaxy announced the inauguration of its LED chip subsidiary based in Yangzhou, China, which could become China's largest epitaxial wafer maker in 2012 when it completed the installation of 50 MOCVD machines. Formosa Epitaxy chairman noted, the company expected LED chip demand return to the levels of the first half of 2010 in February and March of 2011, and mass shipments for applications in tablet PCs would begin in February as well.

It’s reported that Taiwan-based LED chip maker Huga Optotech was accused by patent licensing company Bluestone Innovations, because Bluestone thought Huga had infringed upon its intellectual property in Group III-V nitride production process. Huga was seeking legal council to decrease the impact on its operation.

LED chipmaker Epistar November revenues decreased to NT$1.663 billion (US$55.161 million), down 2.8% sequentially but up 26.4% from 2009. Revenues from January through November grew 60.16% on year to NT$18.327 million.

LED chip maker Formosa Epitaxy and chip packaging house Unity Opto Technology would direct their focus to China's TV market for future growth, affected from South Korea TV vendors raising their own LED capacity.

In 3Q10, Epistar's consolidated revenues reached NT$5.68 billion, up 8.3% sequentially. Gross margin was 40.7%, up from 39% in 2Q. Operating income was NT$1.7 billion with operating margin of 30%. Net profit was NT$1.9 billion up 12% sequentially. For the first three quarters of 2010, Epistar consolidated revenues totaled NT$15.9 billion, gross margin 39.5%, and operating income NT$4.63 billion with 29% operating margin. Net profits were NT$4.6 billion with an EPS of NT$5.81.

Both Unity Opto Technology and Formosa Epitaxy had reduced their LED-backlit models in 2010 from 30% originally to 15-20% and 20-25%. The head of Epitaxy noted, affected adjustment of inventory by Samsung and LG, their ESP of ED-backlit TVs' market in 2010 would slip.

Taiwan LED chipmaker Formosa Epitaxy has announced the income of 1H10. A gross margin is above 43.58% which is the highest among Taiwan LED chipmakers. The net profit reached NT$630 million (US$19.2 million) and revenues come to NT$2.096 billion, while EPS reached NT$1.85. In the 2Q of 2010, the strength of capacity expansion and being improved result in the strong result, while the company hope keep above the 40% level due to pay attention to LED lighting in the 3Q of 2010.

LED industry giants, including Formosa Epitaxy (3061), Unity Opto (2499), Amtran, and LG Display (LGD), have jointly-invested a total of NT4.8 billion (~USD 150 million) to set up an LED chip manufacturing plant in Jiangsu – Jiangsu Canyang Corporation (transliterated). Yangzhou Municipal Government, in Jiangsu Province, has also granted NT 2.4~2.5 billion (~USD 78 million) in subsidies to encourage the development of the LED industry in China. 

Taiwan government is planning to invest NT$50 billion (US$1.48 billion) to the adoption of devices powered by renewable energy and green industries, including LED, as part of its NT$500 billion public construction program, reported the Chinese-language Economic Daily News yesterday, citing Minister of the Public Construction Commission Fan Liang-shiow.

It's reported that Taiwan industry watchers estimated the on-going Beijing Olympic Games to give a big boost to the LED lighting industry from the huge number of LED lamps in conjunction with the energy-conservation tone lighting up magnificent games monuments, public utilities, main roads, and traffic lights in the Chinese capital city.