In April, the U.S. government has proposed a list of 1300 Chinese exports and announced to impose 25 percent tariffs on these products, following the Section 301 investigation. Later in July, the Trump administration released the second tranche of additional tariffs on US$ 200 billion worth of Chinese goods. As LED products are included in both tariff lists, LEDinside has continued to follow and analyze the impacts of the tariffs on LED lighting business. 

Taiwanese semiconductor component provider TOPCO has announced that it will join the Touch Taiwan display show to introduce materials and components that are crucial for Micro LED/Mini LED technology development. 

Telecom operator O2 has announced its partnership with pureLiFi for a trail network using LED lights to provide high-speed wireless connection for data transmission. 

German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen has been recalling 700,000 of its Tiguan and Touran cars around the world due to the possible short-circuiting risk of their LED lights.

Industry sources have leaked in February that LG planned to release its first Micro LED TV in September. LG Electronics will reportedly launch its Micro LED TV at the IFA electronics trade show in Germany, according to a report from The Investor. 

The technology developments on wearable devices have created numerous applications with the purpose of improving the convenience and well-being of life. In the first half of 2018, several researches and projects combining LED technologies and wearables were revealed. Meanwhile, whether the new Apple Watch will adopt Micro LED has been a focus to all.

Taiwan-based LED auto lamp modules and components manufacturer EOI (Excellence Optoelectronics Inc) has reported high profit margin for 1H18 which was pushed by the strong demands of LED automotive lamps in the North American market.

LG Innotek has reportedly launched visible LEDs for disinfection lighting which uses indoor light to deliver sterilization effect, according the report of Korea Herald. 

The UK’s Royal Navy has ordered 100,783 LED tubes worth £1 million (US$ 1.27 million) for its flagship warships from Voltacon, a UK based company.

The market value of LED lighting has continuously expanded in the past years with the progress of the technology. According to the latest report of LEDinside, LED lighting market scale will reach US$ 33.3 billion in 2019 and LED lighting market penetration will come to 63 percent in 2022 from 22 percent in 2017.

By September 1, importing or producing new halogen bulbs will be banned in the EU market, as the final phase of EU energy regulations comes into effect. The retailers are allowed to sell their in-stock halogen bulbs but cannot reorder. Consumers have no obligation to replace the old halogen bulbs before they expire. 

Lextar has been reorganizing its production capacities and adjusting its products portfolio, aiming to efficiently integrate its resources and to boost profit margin for the future. 

Lextar has released a series of Mini LED products including Mini LED RGB display modules and Mini LED backlight for notebooks and monitors. The products will be demonstrated at Touch Taiwan 2018 by the end of August in Taipei, Taiwan. 

Taiwan-based flexible printed circuit board producer Uniflex announced its development of Mini LED substrates which has entered the supply chain of LED chips, LED backlight modules and panels. The company expects mass production and shipment of the products in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Chinese company BOE Technology will reportedly begin trial production of Micro OLED display in the beginning of 2019 which will be applied for VR and AR, according to Korea’s ET News. 

Innolux, the Taiwanese panel maker, has announced a revenue for July of NT$ 25.2 billion (US$ 819.58 million) with an increase of 1.6% MoM and a decrease of 0.8% YoY. 

In the beginning of 3Q18, Epistar’s revenue report did not match its expectation. The company registered a revenue of NT$ 1.81 billion (US$ 58.87 million) for July, down by 0.1% MoM and 19.36% YoY.

Lextar reported its financial report for the second quarter of 2018 with a consolidated revenue of NT$ 2.98 billion (US$ 97.24 million), up by 12.6% QoQ. The net profit came to NT$ 50 million (US$ 1.63 million). For the first half of the year, the revenue was NT$ 5.63 billion (US$ 183.71 million) with a decrease of 8.8 YoY, while the net profit dropped by 75.5% to NT$ 12 million (US$ 391,572). 

LED IC driver manufacturer Macroblock registered a revenue of NT$ 245 million (US$ 7.99 million) for July, down by 9.97% MoM, which was not in line with the expectation of the peak quarter. Macroblock indicated that the trade war between the U.S. and China has impacts on the company’s orders.

Automotive LED module producer Laster Tech has registered a revenue of NT$ 358 million (US$ 11.68 million), up by 45.82% YoY, hitting record high levels. 

A research team at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has produced a fiber-based “soft hardware” with embedded LED and diode photodetectors which can be used to make clothes.

Canadian automotive components supplier Magna has reported its net income of the second quarter with a growth of 13% YoY to US$636 million. Despite the growth, the company has adjusted its outlook for 2018 in response to tariffs. 

During the second quarter of this year, many panel producers reported profit drop due to oversupply. However, as the third quarter began, AUO has announced its increased revenue for July with panel price bouncing back and rising shipments. 

Lite-On Technology has reported a revenue of NT$15.5 billion (US$506 million) for July with a decrease of 21.05% MoM and 11.49% YoY. 

LED vertical integration manufacturer Lextar Electronics registered a revenue of NT$ 950 million (US$ 31 million) for July, up by 4.3% MoM and down by 15% YoY. The company said it has adjusted its product portfolio by radically reducing the share of general lighting products and targeting customized LED lighting modules and high power LED for special applications.

Lighting companies have released updates about their financial results and reported their outlook for the second half of 2018.

The price of blue LED chips has dropped to almost half compared to the price last year, putting a great pressure on many manufacturers. The price of 4-inch wafer has fallen from US$ 22 in 1Q17 to around US$ 15 in 1Q18. As the cost is about US$ 15, the decrease of price could lead to deficit for LED chip makers.

As one of the most important display shows of the industry, Touch Taiwan will take place during August 29 – 31 in Taipei, Taiwan. Manufacturers of the supply chain including LED chip, panel, driver IC and end-product applications will gather at the event to demonstrate their innovative technologies as well as to discuss the development trend of the industry. Micro LED, considered to be the next generation display technology, will be a spotlight of the event.

In the past few weeks, the LED industry has been active with several worldwide leading brands reporting their financial results of the second quarter and the first half of 2018 as well as big names announcing news of company reconstruction. LEDinside highlights the news for our readers to quickly follow up the industry updates. 

Under the pressure of price competition and oversupply in the LED industry, LED producers worldwide have been devoting their efforts in organization transformation and reconstruction as well as focusing on innovative technologies. The development of Mini LED and Micro LED has been viewed as the new opportunity for LED firms. LEDinside has estimated that the revenue of Micro LED and Mini LED will reach US$1.38 billion by 2022.