The Trump administration on April 4, 2018 published a list of 1300 Chinese exports and proposed to apply a 25% tariff on these products. However, the proposal would have limited impact on LED companies in China and Taiwan, according to LEDinside.

LEDVANCE, one of the world's leading general lighting providers for professional users and end consumers, is now 100 percent owned by the leading Chinese LED lighting company MLS. MLS has taken over the full ownership of LEDVANCE by means of a share deal with the strategic investor IDG Capital and the financial investor Yiwu. As part of the deal, IDG Capital and Yiwu will become shareholders of MLS via a joint investment.

Highlights of Lextar for this year are high-power LED modules, LEDs for slim luminaire, and IR sensor modules. In particular, the new IR sensor modules were showcased for the first time. They feature 3D image recognition and can be used in 3D cameras. In addition to that, the company also showcased its automotive LEDs.

Heliospectra AB announces a new order from their value-added reseller Climate Controls Ltd, UK. The order is for Heliospectras fully adjustable LX60-series full spectrum LED grow lights to be installed at the iconic Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew and at Wakehurst, Kew's wild botanic garden in Sussex (which is also the home of the Millennium seedbank). The order value is SEK 1.7 million (£ 150,000). Delivery will take place and be visible in the accounts in Q2 2018.

Luminus Devices, Inc., has released its breakthrough warm dimming and dynamic tuning modules that deliver exceptionally uniform color and control across any environment and enable consistency from fixture-to-fixture and between linear, down, and directional luminaires that are used in the same space. Unique to the new modules are on-board IC chips that allow exceptional color quality and uniformity in hospitality, commercial and office environments. 

Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting recently launched its new TV ad campaign ‘Wider light for brighter homes’. The ad campaign highlights the importance of choosing Wipro Garnet LED bulb, which is 70% wider than ordinary LED bulbs giving more brightness for homes. The new TVC aims at changing the consumer’s mindset with its honest instance by giving them a hard-hitting reason as to why they should change their lighting base from an ordinary low beam bulb to the all-new Wipro Garnet LED Bulb which has a “wide beam angle” which enables better light throw and makes rooms/objects better lit.

At Light and Building 2018, LEDinside had a face-to-face interview with Dr. Jacob Tarn, new CEO of LEDVANCE, who shared his insights on the market and the company’s strategic outlook.

We have seen at the trade show major lighting brands announce their determination to transition away from LED lighting companies to software-oriented IoT Solution providers. Companies in the lighting industry admitted their profits have been affected by severe price wars in the market and have tried to develop new business opportunities. However, in comparison, LEDVANCE chooses to not only keep but even expand its focus on general lighting as a globally active, full-scale LED lighting company.

San Jose, CA – March 27 – Today Lumileds introduced a new addition to its mid power family, the new LUXEON 3030 2D with a square LES, which is specifically optimized for high flux and maximum reliability in a variety of general lighting applications including downlights, high bay & low bay fixtures and outdoor lighting applications. “With the new LUXEON 3030 2D, we are able to offer the industry’s highest flux in a two-die mid power package, but also our hot-color targeted approach ensures superior color accuracy to that of other LED manufacturers,” said Mei Yi, Product Manager of LUXEON 3030 2D for Lumileds.

Students attending Dubai’s Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU) need never flick a light switch or search for a tutorial or classroom again. Philips Lighting has equipped the university with state-of the-art connected LED lighting controlled by its Interact Office system. The technology enables faculty staff to control and personalize light settings using a smartphone app, while students can be guided to rooms using lighting-based indoor positioning technology. Such innovations bring to life Philips Lighting’s strategy to deliver new capabilities as value expands from lighting products to software and services.

Telensa, specializing in deployment of connected street lighting and Smart City applications, announced that it has been selected by Whakatane District Council to deploy its PLANet intelligent streetlighting system. The project, part of a New Zealand Transport Agency programme to convert existing road lighting to LED, will involve replacing Whakatane’s 2,500 streetlights with wirelessly managed LEDs. The project is due for completion in June 2018.

LEDinside unexpectedly witnessed that a company got caught red-handed for infringing another company’s patents and had to remove a part of their exhibits.

New Delhi: March 2018- The 6th annual LED Expo Thailand 2018, which is aimed at bringing together LED & lighting industry with buyers, specialists and suppliers to the Challenger 1, IMPACT Exhibition Center in Bangkok, Thailand on May 10-12, 2018. This year’s exhibit space is almost sold out. Over 300 exhibitors from around the globe are set to showcase their innovations at the Expo. Adding more room for special focus on your futuristic innovations, the organisers this year have come up with the theme FUTURE of LED for a SMART LIVING offering you more focused audience. Don’t let the opportunity pass by; book space now to maximize your business.

Light and Building 2018, one of the largest trade shows in Europe, gathers over 2,700 exhibitors and their advanced lighting and building automation technologies in Frankfurt. Those technologies reflect the highly dynamic nature of the sector and the rising demand for smart life and efficient energy management around the world. In particular, one of the most exciting things must be to learn what major companies announce and showcase at the fair. Here, LEDinside sees a trend that big lighting companies are now transforming themselves from lamp suppliers to IoT solution and service providers.

Smart lighting has been developed for years, but products and applications are not really used widely. In 2017, however, smart lighting has begun to escalate with diversification of products, continuous improvements of technology, maturing ecosystem of industry chain, and active promotion of manufacturers. According to the latest data of LEDinside, a division of TrendForce, the global smart lighting market reached a value close to US$4.6 billion in 2017 with an annual growth rate of 95%. The market size is expected to reach US$13.4 billion in 2020. Read more at https://press.trendforce.com/press/20180320-3078.html#GogpHqGqEKOZDt2W.99

According to the latest Gold Member Report - LED Industry Demand and Supply Data Base from LEDinside, a division of the market research firm TrendForce, in 2017, due to the stable prices on LED market and the rapid growth of automotive lighting and outdoor architectural lighting, LED market value of 2017 reached USD 17.16 billion, up 7.4% YoY.

Light + Building 2018, the largest trade fair for lighting and building services technology in Europe, officially begins on March 18. For the next six days, 18-23 March, exhibitors at the show will showcase their state-of-the-art products and technologies, whether they are for lighting, communication, building automation, or automotive applications.

Light + Building opens its doors in Frankfurt am Main from Sunday, 18 March, to Friday, 23 March 2018. Over 2,700 exhibitors from 55 countries are showing their latest products and innovations for the lighting, electrical engineering, home and building automation and safety and security sectors on more than 260,000 square metres spread in25 exhibition halls.

The use of Japanese NICHIA LED design, the overall luminous flux up to 16,200 lumens, efficiency 135 lumens / watt, replace the 500W ~ 800W traditional mercury lamp applications, saving 85% of electricity costs; use Mingwei power HLG seven-year warranty LED special series, lamp life up to 10 year.

Tridonic initiated patent lawsuits against telecommunication retailer S-KON eKontor24 GmbH. Although District Court Munich I affirmed Tridonic’s arguments, parties agreed on a settlement for reasons of legal certainty and prompt settlement of the dispute.

Czech technological company IQ Structures developed a new optical system NANOPTIQS.

Ingolstadt car manufacturer Audi uses the expertise of Osram Opto Semiconductors in the front lighting of its new flagship. The Oslon Compact PL for adaptive front lighting has been installed in the Audi A8 for the first time. The Oslon Black Flat S in its 3-chip version provides an extended beam range. In addition, the tried and tested Topled is used in the sedan’s daytime running lights.

Lumileds introduced the LUXEON CZ Color Line, a product line optimized to deliver maximum punch. “The LUXEON CZ features up to 48% higher punch than any other undomed color LED,” said Jennifer Holland, Product Line Director of the LUXEON Color Family. The company has witnessed in the market the trend to color tuning fixtures with narrow beam angles and maximum punch. The LUXEON CZ Color Line consists of 21 LED color options, which includes 13 color and 8 white emitters.

Future Lighting Solutions announces the immediate availability of Optisolis from Nichia, the most advanced Ultra-High Color Rendering white LED the world has ever seen.

The nights in the German federal states („Bundesländer") have been getting brighter and brighter - but not everywhere at the same rate and with one peculiar exemption: light emissions from Thuringia decreased between 2012 and 2017.

A team led by engineers at the University of California San Diego has used data mining and computational tools to discover a new phosphor material for white LEDs that is inexpensive and easy to make.

Through a European project, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Neonelektro have developed new types of LED displays that combine the flexibility, low cost and high technical performance enabled by roll-to-roll mass manufacturing technology.

Seoul Semiconductor announces that its SunLike Series LEDs, which implement light closest to the spectrum of natural sunlight, have been adopted for a series of luminaires designed by FLOS Architectural, a specialty lighting company based in Spain.

A soft, flexible contact lens can monitor glucose levels in tears and deliver sensing results through the lens display, alerting the user if glucose levels are too high by turning off a tiny embedded LED light, according to a new report from UNIST, Korea.

LED technology has been widely adopted in lighting because it is highly energy efficient and durable. On the other hand, LED lamps contain a number of delicate semiconductor elements, which are more susceptible to power surge damages than conventional lamps. Especially in countries where power grids are relatively unstable, damages to LED products caused by power surge are more common.