Taiwanese package manufacturer Harvatek operational performance strengthened during the second half of 2013. The company hopes profit gain in 3Q13 will carry on into 4Q13, said Billy Wang, Chairman of Harvatek. The company hopes to maintain its profitable performance in 4Q13 , and aims to turnover previous losses to make 2013 a profitable year.

Can light travel at the speed of ambition? “Instantly!” is the answer at Mercedes-Benz of Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, where Collection Auto Group, with help from GE, is realizing its dream of the ultimate automotive dealership—an all-LED lighting facility inside and out that drives the client experience beyond expectations.

Amtech Systems, Inc. a global supplier of production and automation systems and related supplies for the manufacture of solar cells, semiconductors, and sapphire and silicon wafers, reported results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ending September 30, 2013.

Fairchild Semiconductor announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the repurchase of up to $100 million of the company's common stock. Fairchild will repurchase shares from time to time in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions.

Philips Lighting blogger Monique Cousineau publishes an interesting Christmas lights trivia article on the lighting giant’s website. How many questions can you get right? Below is the full blog entry:

For Walking Dead series fans, Larson Electronics lists down ten products that can help boost your chances of survival in case of a zombie apocalypse. 

Rigid Industries LED Lighting® announced Thursday they hit an all-time record on the D-Series (Dually and D2 led lights) production line. With Rigid Industries’ new manufacturing facility in Gilbert, Arizona, and the increase in demand for the brightest most compact LED light on the market, they pushed it to the limit and beat the old record set a few months back.

Osram’s study proves positive effects of lighting on cognitive performance of students ZNL TransferZentrum für Neurowissenschaften und Lernen (Transfer Centre for Neuroscience and Learning) have conducted an investigation with lighting manufacturer Osram on students’ performances under different lighting conditions at two schools in Ulm, Germany between November 2011 and Feburary 2012. The aim of this investigation was to figure out whether lighting that simulates daylight could increase students’ concentration and cognitive performances. This anticipation has been positively proven. Students who had taken courses and tests in biologically optimised lighting classrooms performed better than students who were in ordinary lighting classrooms.

LED fixtures at Rio de Janeiro site will save half a million dollars in energy costs compared to fluorescent technology The modular headquarters of the Organizing Committee for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic and Paralympic Games is the first commercial building in Brazil to adopt GE Lighting’s Lumination™ ET Series Recessed LED Troffer, an ultra-thin fixture as thin as the width of a finger that brings modern styling to traditionally uninspired commercial ceiling spaces.

LED package manufacturer Everlight announced on December 10th that the company revenue increased slightly during the traditionally slack season in 4Q, with November revenue reaching NT $2.26 billion (US $76 million).

Refond announced the establishment of a new holding subsidiary in Changzhou on December 10th, 2013 through joint investments with Li Yanpeng and Pan Hongme to strengthen the company’s competitiveness in the LED industry.

You might not know what "lattice-matched heterojunctions" are, but if you stopped at a new stoplight, played a DVD or used a laser pointer, you've made use of technology pioneered by Jerry Woodall, distinguished professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of California, Davis. Woodall's work, begun in the 1960s at IBM Research, is the basis for cheap, energy-efficient light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, and lasers.

Recently, China’s Urban Street Lighting Design Standard drafting group launched its first conference in Beijing. At the conference, 21 members included representatives from Beijing, Chengdu and Shanghai’s Urban Lighting Management Centers, Shenzhen Lighting Environment Management Center, Philips, GE Lighting, Kingsun and others.

For those who want to make an original Christmas ornament this year, blogger craftycounterpart on Instructables website has unveiled the steps in making an awesome LED Death Star from Star Wars.

Xicato announced that it has expanded its Vibrant Series offerings to include both a 1300 lumen and 2000 lumen option alongside its 3000 lumen module. Introduced in July, the Vibrant Series has been quickly adopted by designers, merchandisers and brand managers to support their efforts to differentiate and create compelling experiences for customers.

Ledzworld announced a new LED lamp that makes traditional ceramic metal halide (CMH) bulbs a thing of the past. The perfect choice to replace outdated and inefficient CMH bulbs, Ledzworld’s Platinum LED PAR38 lamp is the industry’s first 2000 lumen, single source LED lamp without active cooling.

Checkers Industrial Safety Products announced the immediate availability of their new AID LIGHTS™ LED2250 Class I Beacons. With an ultra efficient power supply, these high intensity beacons produce more flashes per minute with less power draw, which minimizes maintenance and replacement costs. AID LIGHTS™ LED2250 Beacons quickly alert people of upcoming hazards to create a safer work environment for traffic safety, construction, mining, utilities, or in other hazardous or emergency areas.

Guoqing Tang, China President of LED BU, Samsung, who is also Chairman of SEMI China LED Committee, gives an in depth analysis of the LED industry developments and categorization in this article. 

The maturation of LED technology and lighting applications have allowed flip-chips to become the star of 2013. Genesis Photonics Inc. (GPI) has been producing flip chip products for over three years. In 2013, the company expanded into the new field of flip chip packaging and its development direction has been technological vertical integration. Elimination of wire bonding during the manufacturing process can effectively reduce LEDs damage risks. GPI plans to continue introducing flip chips into special application markets for street lights, tunnel lighting, and factory lighting, which require products with high reliability.

The incandescent bulb's days are numbered; by Jan.1, 2014, most will have been phased out. And a typical 60-watt bulb costs more than three times as much per year to run as a similar LED bulb. The preliminary findings of Consumer Reports latest tests show that the newest and least expensive LEDs are shining bright.   

Market rumors surrounding Apple’s interest in OLED technology have resurfaced this week. The company has applied for an OLED patent with integrated thermal sensors, according to an article by Apple Patently. Although, Apple CEO Tim Cook has been repeatedly quoted as showing no interest in OLED technology in February during the Goldman Sachs Conference, the company just cannot ignore the advantages OLED technology presents in wearable electronic devices, such as the iWatch.

The first downlight of GE’s Lumination™ LED Luminaires, the DI Series offers easy customization through an ideal ambient lighting solution for high-end retail, commercial office, and hospitality applications. Featuring the breakthrough design of GE Lighting’s Infusion™ technology, users can easily select their preferred lumen output and color temperature to illuminate key products or focal points with the simple switch of an LED module.

Xicato, a developer of LED modules, announced that Joe Li has joined the company as the Regional Sales Manager Greater China and will lead the company’s continued growth in a region where the market is maturing and increasingly seeking solutions that provide higher quality light and improved efficiency.

At the DOE Solid-State Lighting Market Introduction Workshop in November, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recognized non-profit organization Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP) with Special Recognition as an LED Lighting Facts® program partner. They highlighted NEEP for its dedication to advance and promote the LED lighting industry through its project, the DesignLights Consortium® (DLC).

Xeleum Lighting announced the availability of its Cobalt Series high efficiency LED light fixtures. These fixtures provide more evenly distributed light and years of maintenance-free operation at less than half the energy cost of the fluorescent fixtures they are designed to replace. As with all Xeleum troffers, they meet the performance requirements the DesignLights Consortium (DLC) and are now included on the DLC Qualified Products List (QPL).

RAB Lighting announces the availability of LPANEL, its new line of LED panel fixtures. Designed with high performance and affordability in mind, the new LPANEL products deliver ultra smooth edge-to-edge light in a modern design. LPANEL breaks new ground in efficiency delivering up to 106 lm/W.

Sapphire substrate concept stocks have soared lately on China’s A-Shares market, but major international sapphire substrate suppliers stock prices have plunged, according to a China Securities Journal article. Out of the major sapphire substrate manufacturers, U.S. company GT Advanced Technology (GTAT) stock prices were down 10 percent over the last three days, another U.S. company Rubicon also fell 7 percent during the same period, while Korean Sapphire Technology Company has dropped 8 percent over the last five days.

On December 5th, Philips Lighting gave a futuristic home lighting show titled “Light, Creating and Witnessing Touching Residences” at 800 Show in Shanghai, China. By working with three famous interior designers, Zhang Yi, Bill Yen and Ouyang Hui, Philips expressed how innovative lighting can change residential surroundings through multiple lighting designs. At the show, these designers shared their creation concepts with attendees through three show rooms that displayed minimal, fashionable and neoclassical styles respectively.

LED manufacturers have consecutively released their November financial reports.Taiwanese LED chip manufacturer Epistar revenue has been driven by increased shipment demands for  AlInGaP and backlight products and LED chip manufacturer Genesis Photonics Inc. (GPI) also showed good revenue performance in November benefiting from flip chip products.

Roshow Technology has released an abnormal stock price announcement after experiencing three days of inflation on stock prices surpassing 25 percent. The listed company does not manufacturer sapphire substrate. It expressed that rumors on the Internet claiming the company has invested a total of RMB 1.1 billion (US$?) to produce 4 million LED sapphire substrate pcs annually is false.