A Malaysian manufacturer Elsoft Research has started producing 40 LED test equipment that is valued to reach an estimated RM 20 million (US $) by the first half of 2016, reported Malaysian media StarBiz.

A U.S. lighting installer Xcel Energy is tackling lighting complaints from residents in Eau Claire, Wisconsin with better designed LED streetlights, reported Leader Telegram.

Toshiba Lighting has finally made some progress in selling its less profitable Chinese production line to appliance manufacturer Konka Group. The company is withdrawing from the Chinese consumer lighting market, and plans to move operations back to Japan.

YuanRong Photoelectric Technology (YuanRong) announced recently that its wholly owned subsidiary YuanRong Health Technology (temporary translation, the company does not have an official English name) has signed a global strategic partnership agreement with HKI Group to develop Deep UV (DUV) LED technologies, reported Chinese media Sinai.

Waning market demands, price wars and severe oversupply of LED chips in LED industry has urged Nan Ya Photonics Incorporation (NYPI), a subsidiary of Formosa Plastics Group, to  announce earlier this week its exit from the upstream LED EPI-wafer manufacturing business, and shift its focus to downstream market, including light bulb production and lighting system.

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) announced that ANSI Accredited Standards Committee C78 reaffirmed six standards now available for purchase on the NEMA website. 

According to statistics, the majority of accidents occur at dusk or at night – poor visibility is often the trigger. Intelligent headlights adapt to the current traffic situation, and can be a remedy. In collaboration with industry partners, Fraunhofer researchers have developed a high-resolution illumination system with more than 1,000 LED pixels: It offers considerably more options for precise light distribution than previous solutions have and is also energy efficient.

Officials from the Maharashtra state located in western-central India has announced plans of replacing CFL streetlights in 43,665 villages with LEDs, reported Moneycontrol.com.

Once, Inc., a technology company specializing in photobiology and optogenetics, announced the submission of its Petition to the California Energy Commission (CEC) to repeal the 2016 Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Standards). The Standards pose additional requirements for lighting companies and fall in line with the scientifically disputed view that lighting operating under 200 Hz is unpleasant to humans due to flicker and less energy efficient. The Standards impose additional data reporting requirements that would increase the cost of production, which ultimately translates to an increase in cost to the consumer.

In a vote 7-1, city officials of Seguin in Texas, U.S. approved the purchase of LED lights to be installed in the downtown area, and agreed to year-round illumination before sunset till 10:00 PM, reported Seguin Gazzette.

On March 1, 2016, Samsung Electronics, the world’s second largest semiconductor supplier, signed a comprehensive strategic partnership MOU with Shanghai Wellmax Lighting Industry (WELLMAX) at Samsung Electronics’ Shanghai head office. The MOU identifies WELLMAX as one of Samsung Electronics’ first group of global ingredient brand partners together with top brands including GE and The Home Depot. WELLMAX is the first and so far the only company that receives Samsung’s ingredient brand authorization in China.

One of the markedly visible changes to China’s latest lighting standard GB7000.1-2015, which addresses luminaires general test requirements, is the introduction of blue-light hazard regulations, stated the Machinery and Electrical Products Testing Center under Shanghai’s Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted Apple a flexible OLED display patent recently, reported MacRumors.

Osram Sylvania is introducing a novel strategy to reduce LED bulb manufacturing costs, and keep it competitive on the market, according to a report from Forbes.

AIXTRON SE, a worldwide leading provider of deposition equipment to the semiconductor industry, today announced that Plessey Semiconductors Ltd. has ordered an AIX G5+ C cluster system for the production capacity expansion of gallium nitride LEDs manufactured on silicon wafers (GaN-on-Si). The tool is scheduled for delivery in the third quarter 2016.

Li-Fi inventor Professor Herald Haas from University of Edinburgh, UK has been trying to convince the Indian government about the advantages of using Li-Fi integrated solar panels, according to a recent LiveMint report.

Europe’s technology leaders in the development of flexible OLEDs for lighting and signage applications have joined together in a consortium to develop an open access pilot line that will accelerate the commercial adoption of this promising new technology.

Universal Display Corporation , enabling energy-efficient displays and lighting with its UniversalPHOLED® technology and materials, announced a collaboration and evaluation agreement with OSRAM, one of the world's leading lighting manufacturers. Under the agreement, OSRAM will begin sampling Universal Display’s proprietary PHOLED™ phosphorescent OLED materials for solid-state lighting applications.

A team led by Prof. Tae-Woo Lee (Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering) at POSTECH have fabricated highly-efficient, solution-processed fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) using pure-organic thermally-activated delayed-fluorescence (TADF) emitters. The research was published in Advanced Materials journal. This research is selected as a most significant paper and open to the public as a "Layman's abstract".

A Paris-based startup company Glowee is developing a bacteria lighting, using bioluminescent glow to light up shop windows and street signs, reported New Scientist.

With just a tiny tweak, researchers at Kyushu University greatly increased the device lifetime of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) that use a recently developed class of molecules to convert electricity into light with the potential for increased efficiency at a lower cost in future displays and lighting.

Luxonic has expanded its offering with the opening of its first sales office in Scotland. The business’s new Glasgow base will further Luxonic’s already strong operation across the UK, adding to existing offices in Manchester, Belfast and Luxonic’s HQ and manufacturing facilities in Basingstoke.

The U.S. government’s blockage of Go Scale Capital’s acquisition of former Philips LED component business Lumileds in January 2016, has not deterred the Chinese manufacturer from bidding for Philips Lighting, reported Bloomberg Monday.

Toshiba Lighting and Technology is exiting the consumer market in China, and will be selling all related business operations to local appliance maker Konka Group, according to a recent Nikkei report.

A group of tourists got Wayne Thomson, chairman of Niagara Falls (Ontario) Tourism, thinking about upgrading the lighting of the well- known fall, reported Buffalo Business First.

Indian states Telangana, Jammu and Kashmir have become the latest to implement LED lighting replacement projects under the country’s Domestic Efficient Lighting Program (DELP), according to Indian media reports.

LED A-line lamps surged 226.7% during 4Q15 on a year-over-year basis. Meanwhile, halogen A-line lamps posted a year-over-year increase of 8.7%, and incandescent A-line lamps increased by 7.8 % while compact fluorescents lamps (CFL) dropped 56%. Compared to 3Q15, LED shipments rose 18.4 percent, halogen A-lines increased 0.8%, and CFL shipments saw a quarter-to-quarter increase of 6.5%. In contrast, incandescent A-line lamp shipments decreased 16.7% on a quarter-over-quarter basis.

With ties to many major international companies in over 40 markets, Mackwell has appointed a General Manager of Middle East, India and Africa (MEIA) to oversee the business strategy in this region, further develop connections and market share in the UAE region and develop Mackwell’s presence in this fast-expanding market. René Joppi, was chosen for the position because of his vast experience in DALI, Lighting Controls, Emergency Lighting and software development, gained during his time with Zumtobel Group, plus his ability to advise on the legislation and regulations associated with emergency lighting in that region. 

Our friends at OLEDinfo have compiled news from several Korean sources confirming total investments in Samsung’s upcoming OLED TV panel fab might be higher than previous reports, and sheds light on the OLED technology the company will be utilizing.

Orion Energy Systems, Inc. , a leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance, energy-efficient retrofit lighting platforms, today announced Vac-Con®, Inc., a Florida-based manufacturer, has again selected Orion lighting for a major facility expansion. The project features a combination of first and second generation HARRIS LED High Bays.