New blog post from David Orchard, UK Outdoor Sales Manager at GE Lighting about his observations of the hesitance by some local authorities to upgrade to LED. If financing is no longer a problem, what's the hold up? 1st July, 2014

LG Display (LGD) will supply OLED panels to German automotive manufacturers including Daimler-Benz, according to a Korea Economic Daily Report.

On June 30, 2014, Dutch lighting conglomerate Philips announced the spun-off of LED component business Lumileds and automotive lighting business into an independent company. The two businesses revenue aggregated to US $1.9 billion last year. On the same day, leading Taiwanese LED chip manufacturer Epistar acquired FOREPI through conversion of stocks.

HC SemiTek Corporation announced on July 1, 2014, that its wholly-owned subsidy HC SemiTek (Suzhou) has been granted an industry development subsidy of RMB 27.50 (US $4.4 million) by the Administrative Commission of Zhangjiagang Economic Technology Development Zone.  

Epistar’s acquisition of FOREPI earlier this week rocked the LED industry. Foreign financial institutes have tooted the merger as a win-win for both sides, as it will boost Epistar’s global market shares to 20 percent and production capacity up 30 to 40 percent, according to a United Evening News report. 

A recent CNET article demonstrates how Philips LED Hue bulbs can be customized into severe weather warning lights using Internet platform service IFTTT. For full demo of how it can be done on IFTTT please see link.

Nichia Corporation, headquartered in Tokushima and directed by President Eiji Ogawa, announced today its decision to commercialize blue and green semiconductor laser diode models specifically designed for automotive Head-Up Display (HUD) systems*1 .

OSRAM Licht’s supervisory board has designated Dr. Werner Brandt (60) as the successor of the outgoing member Dr. Joachim Faber (64). Faber resignation from office will be effective starting July 1, 2014.

Universal Display Corporation (Nasdaq: OLED), enabling energy-efficient displays and lighting with its UniversalPHOLED® technology and materials, today announced an expanded evaluation agreement with BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. (京东方). Under this agreement, Universal Display will broaden its collaboration with BOE and supply additional highly efficient phosphorescent OLED (PHOLED) materials for display applications.

Once news broke of Epistar’s acquisition of FOREPI, all eyes turned to China based chip manufacturer San’an Optoelectronics (San’an Opto), eager to see how the company would react. 

Royal Philips  today announced that it will start the process to combine its Lumileds (LED components) and Automotive lighting businesses into a stand-alone company within the Philips Group. Philips will explore strategic options to attract capital from third party investors for this business. Philips intends to remain a shareholder and customer of the new company, and will continue the existing innovation collaboration.

Top Taiwanese LED chip manufacturers Epistar and FOREPI have officially merged, the two companies announced at a joint press conference held in Taipei, Taiwan on June 30, 2014. The two companies announced the merger will integrate the two companies resources, production capacity, and staff to meet market demands and improve revenue performances.

Sapphire substrate related manufacturers are unable to meet increasing demands as the LED lighting industry enters peak season and Apple prepares to launch the new iPhone 6. Prices for upstream ingot and downstream substrate increased in 3Q14, with ingot prices up 5-10 percent. Rise in price has driven up business performance for sapphire substrate related manufacturers.

Epistar has finally decided to acquire FOREPI, and will be announcing the details of the deal later today, according to several Taiwanese media reports.

Roshow Technology (Roshow) reported a dramatic drop in profits earned in the first half of 2014 compared to the same period in 2013 on June 29, 2014. 

Looking at the current lighting market, smart lighting has already become a new product that manufacturers such as Philips are rushing to release. It was a hot topic not only at the Light+Building exhibition in Germany, but also in the recent Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition earlier this month. The smart lighting market is still in its early stages of development, but manufacturers are eager to expand. The market anticipates to enter into a rapid growth period within one to two years. 

For the Zumtobel Group the 2013/14 financial year was marked by the fundamental redirection of the international lighting group. In a phase of dynamic change, particularly with regard to the technology shift to LEDs, the Group’s new CEO Ulrich Schumacher, who took office on 1 October 2013, has chosen to focus on a consistent multi-brand strategy, intensive collaboration within the Group and flat, efficient organisational structures. The new structures that were implemented on 1 December 2013 support the stronger entrepreneurial management of the Zumtobel Group, the optimal utilisation of production and sales synergies and the strengthening of the Group’s innovative power.

Ire-Tex, a Malaysian company specializing in protective plastic packaging for electronics has announced plans of entering LED market, after acquiring an automation, electronic design and packaging company Zoomic Automation and Zoomic Technology, according to a recent report by Malaysian media The Star.

LG has launched two new 4K curved OLED TVs in the UK, available in 77in and 64in screen sizes. The OLED TVs will be available in the UK by October 2014 at US $ 10,000 and US $34,000 respectively.

Apple fans out there will probably be overjoyed to learn that the new iPhone 6 will be set for mass production next month, and expected to hit shelves sometime in September 2014, according to a Chinese media report. LED backlight manufacturers will probably also see a beacon of hope, as Apple announces it will be using the technology in future MacBook keyboards. In the LED technology sphere Japanese researchers come up with new sputtering method to form GaN LEDs on glass substrates, while Taiwanese government is pitching into AlN substrate technology. 

Established in 1983, few people aside from Everlight Chairman Robert Yeh could have envisioned the Taiwanese LED package manufacturer’s radical transformation. The company that started off with a capital of NT $ 5 million (US $170,000), and a factory of only 120 square meters, has become one of the top package leaders in Taiwan and an LED industry game changer.

Apple has applied for a new patent for the development of an LED based keyboard, according to Patently Apple. The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office published the company’s patent application on June 26, 2014. 

LG Display has announced plans to invest US $788.1 million in its OLED panel production line to meet growing global demand, according to Korean news source Yonhap News Agency. 

Osram and the Vatican Museums are deepening their lighting liaison. Both parties have signed a multi-year framework collaboration agreement regarding possible future projects. Osram is currently already equipping the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel with a new LED-based lighting solution. “We are very glad to continue our collaboration with the Vatican. This follow-up agreement underlines that we are offering high-end quality and innovative lighting solutions and underpins our role as the leading global lighting company”, said Christophe Poméon, head of Osram’s Luminaires Business Unit. “Our art and architecture present the most demanding requirements for light. Therefore, we are using outstanding lighting installations. With the opening of the Sistine chapel at end of October, the public can witness first impressions of this”, said Antonio Paolucci, Director of the Vatican Museums.

Semrock announced newest fluorescence filter product family with LED Optimized light engine sets. Three initial sets are available for Pinkel and full multiband configurations using popular LED light sources. Designed to be spectrally aligned with the output of popular LED light engines, all of the new filters offer the high performance and value you expect from Semrock filters.

Philips lighting products took top spot for brand image, according to the second round China lighting product manufacturer behavior survey jointly conducted by Trendforce’s research division LEDinside and consumer research specialist AVANTI in May 2014. Opple Lighting and NCV Lighting ranked top among Chinese manufacturers. The survey also revealed that LED lamp usage has increased to 40 percent from 24 percent in 2013. 

China based manufacturers Leyard and Kangde Xin Composite Material (Kangde Xin) are combining their manufacturing strengths to expand the display market by signing a cooperative agreement on June 25, 2014. 

EMC and COB packaging technology is becoming more common in the LED packaging field, with application volume gradually expanding. 

Apple’s Chinese suppliers have leaked that the new iPhone 6 will begin mass production next month, reported Bloomberg. Increasing competition from other smartphone makers may have pressured the company into early production. 

United Arab Emirates (UAE) moves to ban the sale of inefficient lamps starting July 1 in an effort to reduce energy bills and carbon emission.