Outlook: Systematic pursuit of strategic reorientation and restructuring; no concrete forecasts for revenues and earnings For the Zumtobel Group, the 2015/16 financial year was characterized by fundamental strategic reorientation and restructuring. As the technology shift progresses, the Management Board is aiming to align the Group with new and innovative business models. In total, the lighting group generated the highest revenues in its history. Group EBIT, however, was still below expectations in the reporting year.

Top LED chip manufacturer Epistar’s shipment volume rose in second quarter, and the company revenue climbed up on the back of easing price falls, but still faces financial challenges ahead, reported Taiwanese media Money DJ.com.

The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus might feature a pressure-sensitive home button with haptic feedback, reported Bloomberg.

GE Lighting recently announced it will be closing two traditional lighting production plants in Lexington, Kentucky in U.S. by August 2017, reported Lexington KY News.

Shimla, a city located in Northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, will be replacing about 8,000 conventional streetlights with LEDs, reportedThe Times of India.

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) announced that ANSI Accredited Standards Committee C81 revised ANSI C81.61-2016 American National Standard for Electric Lamp Bases—Specifications for Bases (Caps) for Electric Lamps. This standard sets forth the specifications for bases (caps) used on electric lamps. This revision includes specifications for the G8 base.

GE Lighting is involved in the Olympic Games Rio that runs from Aug. 5-21, 2016, in ways more than just LED lighting installation projects. The company developed LED lights that can help monitor athletes performance.

Intense price competition in the blue LED market has urged Taiwanese manufacturers to transform their business models, among these include Arima Optoelectronics (Arima), which is one of the leading companies in the Greater China region to give up blue (InGaN) LEDs, reported UDN.

Leading Korean LED manufacturer Seoul Semiconductor and Lumens recently announced their separate new fab investment plans in Vietnam, reported Yonhap News Agency.

Major iPhone assembler Hon Hai Precision Industry, or also kn0own as Foxconn Technology Group announced the Chinese government finally gave it the green light to approve Japanese conglomerate Sharp for US $3.5 billion, reported Nikkei Asian Review.

Low power LED lights could raise Canadian snow crab catchability, according to a study presented by PHD candidate Khanh Nguyen at the fourth International Marine Conservation Congress, reported The Fish Site.

The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) in India rejected a petition by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) requesting for reduction in energy charges payable by them to BSES Rajdhani, reported The Times of India.

Veeco Instruments announced that Epistar has ordered multiple TurboDisc® EPIK™700 Gallium Nitride (GaN) Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) Systems for the production of light emitting diodes (LEDs).  The Veeco systems will be used to meet demand for various applications.  

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi is on Samsung Display’s OLED display waiting list that is running well into 2017, reported Korean media etnews.

On August 5, 2016, Shanghai Wellmax Lighting Industry’s (WELLMAX) Sales Manager Tony Song and Senior R&D Engineer Jianzhang Wang led a team to visit the DEKRA Testing & Certification Lab located at Jiangchang San Road, Shanghai, and carried out in-depth technical exchange with DEKRA representatives. The team visited the LED Technical Center and Mechanical Laboratory, the Performance and Efficiency Laboratory, and the Electrical Safety Laboratory, and was introduced to the EMC Test Room (for radiation, conduction and anti-interference), the Optical Testing Center (with light distribution test instrument), and many other experimental facilities and methods.

Nichia’s patent infringement suit filed against the world’s third largest TV vendor TCL Multimedia (TCL) and subsidiary TTE Technology (TTE) on Aug. 8, 2016, is a significant move to prevent unpatented Chinese LED chips from entering U.S., said LEDinside analysts.

On August 8, 2016, Nichia Corporation ("Nichia") filed two patent infringement lawsuitss against TTE Technology, a U.S. based LCD TV distributor, and TCL Multimedia Technology in two district courts in U.S.

Rubicon Technology, a provider of sapphire substrates and products to the LED, optical and semiconductor industries, reported financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2016.

Chinese LED manufacturers Leyard and MLS are both suspending trade on the Chinese bourse as the two companies undergo major investment and asset restructures.

JDI’s previous statement denying claims it sought aid from top shareholder INCJ was overturned on Tuesday.

Everlight stated in a press release that Taiwan’s Intellectual Property Office (TIPO) ruled Nichia’s white LED patent TW 383508 was invalid on July 28, 2016.

Samsung Display is running low on OLED supply, due to soaring OLED display demands from Chinese smartphone makers, reported The Korea Herald.

Seoul Viosys, a world class UV LED solution company (www.seoulviosys.com), announced that it has filed a lawsuit with the Federal District Court of Southern New York, US on Aug. 8, 2016 against P3 International, a U.S. manufacturer of home electronics products who sells their products through large retail shops such as WalMart, on the grounds that the company has infringed SEOUL VIOSYS’s UV LED mosquito trap device MosClean’s patented technology.

Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano and the New York Power Authority (NYPA) in U.S. announced that, through their partnership in the Five Cities Energy Initiative, Yonkers will replace 20,200 interior lighting fixtures with LED energy efficient tubes in all city operated buildings. The project, partially funded by NYPA, will save Yonkers taxpayers up to $250,000 per year and reduce the City’s carbon footprint by 1,226 tons annually. 

Harvard University researchers have designed more than 1,000 new blue-light emitting molecules for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) that could dramatically improve displays for televisions, phones, tablets and more.

Taiwanese LED manufacturer Lextar posted a net loss of NT $ 120 million (US $ 3.82 million) for second quarter of 2016, despite reporting a revenue increase.

Taiwanese LED manufacturer Lite-On’s latest financial performance in July 2016, showed its global consolidated revenue reached NT $19.4 billion (US $630 million), setting a new record high in the last nine months.

Iota Labs, a company founded by five Berkeley engineers, is launching a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to finish developing Dot, the Physical Push Notification. The campaign will kick off in Aug. 23, 2016 and features a LED enhanced smartphone notification device.

Veeco Instruments announced that Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), based in California, has ordered Veeco’s SPECTOR® Ion Beam Sputtering (IBS) System.  The system will be used to deposit optical thin films and to conduct research regarding laser performance in support of the Laboratory’s national security mission.

Japan Display Inc. (JDI), a manufactuerr of small to mid-sized LCD displays issued a statement on Saturday refuting claims made by Nikkeiand other media that it was seeking financial support from INCJ.