Quantel Laser announced the opening of a new service center in China at the offices of their long-time partner, Titan Electro-Optics (TEO). The service center, inaugurated at a gala grand-opening ceremony in Beijing on October 24, 2016, will provide local service to all Quantel customers in China. Local service will be available at the company’s Beijing headquarters as well as in Shanghai and Shenzhen.

Xicato announces it is now shipping XIM Gen4, its 4th generation intelligent module that integrates Bluetooth Low Energy wireless communication, beacon capability and fully featured light control with the industry's tightest specification light source.

Indian government’s energy efficiency program is in place for Bengaluru. LED tube lights will be distributed at subsidized prices, reported Times of India.

Chinese LED manufacturers have been very active in international acquisitions in recent years. One of the most successful representatives in the LED lighting industry this year has been Forest Lighting (MLS) and a consortium of Chinese investors acquired Osram’s general lighting business LEDVANCE. Other Chinese investors also showed interest in absorbing the company recently, with market rumors about San’an Opto’s acquisition of Osram spreading like wildfire recently.

Lextar Electronics, the vertically integrated LED maker in Taiwan, is setting the trend with human-centric lighting, a combination of LED lighting fixtures with a control system that can simulate day and night to change the color temperature of the light. At the same time, the company also launched “Solar White”, its latest LED light quality upgrade technology capable of generating an LED light source similar to natural sunlight. Lextar will attend the Hong Kong International Lighting Fair (Autumn Edition) from 27-30 October 2016, where it will once again publicly display its concept of human-centric lighting in the form its ALLUXIA flat panel lights.  ALLUXIA has won the German Design Award and the Red Dot design award 2016.

Sharp might be shutting down its LED display plant in Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan in 2017, as part of its restructuring efforts implemented by parent company Foxconn, sources familiar with the matter told Japan Times recently.

On Oct. 18, 2016, Nichia Corporation (“Nichia”) filed a patent infringement lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court against HTC NIPPON, a Japanese affiliate of Taiwanese HTC (“HTC”), and Kanematsu Communications, a distributor of HTC NIPPON, seeking an injunction and compensation for damages.

Philips Lighting, a global leader in lighting, announced a state-of-the-art connected LED lighting system to be unveiled on the Big River Crossing as the finale of its grand opening celebration on October 22, 2016.

Vancouver International Airport (YVR) will set itself apart among the top airports in the world with the installation of a new state-of-the-art LED lighting system, designed by industry leader Musco Lighting, to enhance efficiency and streamline operations.

Micro-LEDs, why do we love you so much, when commercialization will take another five to ten years? Despite the long incubation period ahead before micro-LED screens can reach mass production stage, Facebook’s VR subsidiary Oculus announced it absorbed Irish micro-LED company InfiniLED. The strategy seems eerily familiar with the one launched by Apple years back in 2013, when it took Luxvue under its wing, so Oculus and its parent company Facebook are potentially eyeing micro-LEDs for its next generation VR headsets.

Grenoble-based research institute CEA LETI (LETI) recently shared with LEDinside how it is transforming nanowire technology first designed for transistors into making ultra-bright LEDs.

LED gel clings can separate and expose the inner decal and LED/button battery compartment, posing choking and button battery ingestion hazards to children.

Chinese investors are not the only ones showing interest in purchasing Siemen’s 17% stake in Osram, according to a latest report from German business magazine Manager Magazin.

Philips Lighting reports sales at EUR 1.7 billion, continued profitability increase led by gross margin improvement; solid cash flow

Philips Lighting, a global leader in lighting, announced that it had signed up its 700th member for its EnabLED Licensing Program for LED luminaires and retrofit bulbs and that 100 new members have joined in the last nine months. The program, which gives companies a license and support to use its patented innovations, saw a 36% growth in member companies from Asia in the same period. 

Global LED manufacturers are starting to develop micro-LED but there are still many bottlenecks to overcome before it can enter mass production, and most industry experts agree it might take another five to 10 years before it can be commercialized.

Taiwanese LED manufacturer Lite-On reported double digit growth for third quarter of 2016, reported Money DJ.

Samsung Electronics scrapped its flagship Galaxy Note 7 after a series of explosion incidents caused by faulty batteries that has dented its brand reputation. Industry insiders estimate the Korean electronic conglemorate might raise DRAM, AMOLED and other component prices to compensate losses incurred from the Note 7 incidents.

Canadian city Kelowna located inthe south of Canada’s British Columbia province launched a pilot LED streetlight project that could help the city save millions of dollars and cut costs, reported CBC News.

Several Dubai-based Visual Light Communication (VLC) companies are working with the aim of making this Middle East city the first in the world to offer Li-Fi coverage, reported Khaleej Times.

More and more of us are switching to LED bulbs in our homes – now a Queensland research team led by QUT scientists wants Australia’s street lights to be switched over to LEDs.

Cree, a market leader in LED lighting, announced consolidated revenue of US $321 million from continuing operations, and $50 million from discontinued operations, for a combined revenue of $371 million for its first quarter of fiscal 2017. This represents a 13% decrease compared to combined revenue of $425 million ($381 million from continuing operations and $44 million from discontinued operations) for the first quarter of fiscal 2016 and a 4% decrease compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016. Combined GAAP net income for the first quarter of fiscal 2017 was $0.6 million, or $0.00 per diluted share, compared to combined GAAP net loss of $24 million, or $0.24 per diluted share, for the first quarter of fiscal 2016.

Germany’s Deputy Economy Minister Matthias Maching submitted a proposal comprising of six key points to government officials to review investment at the EU level on Monday, Reuters cited local newspaper Welt am Sonntag reporting.

The U.S. Department of Energy's CALiPER program has released a new Snapshot report on outdoor area lighting that covers area/roadway luminaires, parking garage luminaires, and canopy luminaires. Outdoor area lighting is a major contributor to nationwide energy use, and the market segment has been an important player in the transition to solid-state lighting.

The Flint Group and Air Motion Systems have partnered to develop, test and introduce a line of LED-curable low-migration inks for in-mold labels that meet the world’s strictest and most definitive regulations for inks intended for food-packaging applications.

Cree recently had laid off a small number of employees, including at its Durham headquarters, reported Triangle Business Journal.

Foxconn and its newly acquired Japanese subsidiary Sharp might be making OLED panels for smartphone makers in China by 2019, a Nikkeireport cited those familiar with the matter saying.

More than 200 smart LED lights have been installed on the Dubai Canal bridges, with more planned in the near future, said the local Railway and Transportation Authority (RTA) recently.

The Indian government is launching a large scale lighting project valuing INR 10 billion (US $150 million) subsidies to provide affordable solar lights to families living in poverty in Kolkata, India, reported The Economic Times.

Oculus, the virtual reality headgear developer owned by Facebook, has newly acquired an Irish micro-LED company InfiniLED, reported Venture Beat.