The release of low priced LED bulbs by Cree acted as a catalyst this year. One by one international companies are speeding up their LED lighting market strategy. GE Lighting Solutions (GE) hosted their 2014 new product conference on November 19th 2013, with lighting partners Lextar, Chicony, and LiteOn. GE announced the return of the LED Omni A19 to the Taiwanese market and showcased a multitude of new products.

NVC Lighting (NVC) received a visit from UK Birmingham Councilor Sir Albert Bore on November 15th to the company’s Lighting Experience Center in Chongqing where both sides entered into an in-depth discussion regarding investment and development of the NVC Birmingham factory. CEO Wu Changjiang of NVC spoke in detail about the company’s management concept and overseas expansion plans. Among the industries in China encountered during Bore’s trip to China, he expressed that NVC is the only company to receive investments from the city. Both sides hope to cooperate in investment and development of NVC UK.

Designed Together to Work Together™, GE’s LED lighting complemented by USG’s ceiling and wall solutions helps free commercial architects, designers and building contractors from the constraints of traditional design. From seamless ceilings to customized wall murals, GE and USG provide advanced engineering and striking aesthetics for commercial lighting.

Korea research organization UBI Research compares archrival LG Electronics and Samsung 55-inch OLED TVs in its latest research report. Below is the research organization’s press release.

Dialog Semiconductor plc (FWB: DLG), a provider of highly integrated power management, AC/DC, solid state lighting and short-range wireless technologies, today announced a strategic collaboration with Sengled, a global leading provider of LED lighting solutions and Dialog’s first partner for the commercialization of Dialog’s smarteXiteTM platform. Based on fully configurable logic, smarteXite integrates the latest digital dimming standard – Ledotron™ – and enables a new generation of highly flexible and intelligent LED driver ICs for smart lighting applications.

The Albuquerque Convention Center, a multi-purpose event complex with more than 270,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space, recently selected energy efficient LED lighting from Cree, Inc. (Nasdaq: CREE) to improve the facility and provide better illumination for visitors. Powered by Cree TrueWhite® Technology and Lutron® controls, the LED luminaires deliver superior light quality to the East Complex of the Convention Center, while reducing the Convention Center’s annual lighting energy usage from an industry standard 40 percent to just 7.6 percent of its total energy usage.

Power management company Eaton today announced that its Cooper Lighting division has introduced Metalux SkyRidge™ luminaires. Featuring patented WaveStream™ light-emitting diode (LED) technology, the high-efficiency fixtures offer customers a stylish, affordable alternative to fluorescent fixtures. They provide superior optical control, resulting in maximum energy savings and design flexibility for ambient applications.

Taking recessed retrofit lighting to a new level of excellence, Amerlux unveils the Hornet 6-Inch LED Retrofit Kit as a direct replacement for up to 75-watt PAR30 fixtures while consuming only 15 watts. Amerlux engineered these downlights for ambient and task lighting in supermarkets, retailers, hotels, schools and other commercial markets.

With increased demand for LED lighting this year, large global lighting manufacturers have been strategizing their next move in the LED lighting market. The Taiwan LED bulb market has emerged as a strategically important area. Following the release of color tunable LED bulbs by Liteon subsidiary Leotek, U.S. manufacturer GE announced on November 19th that the GE LED Omni A19 will return to the Taiwan market next month. The new generation LED Omni A19 not only has increased brightness, but also more competitively priced.

China Electric Manufacturing Corp. has announced its acquisition of GIO Optoelectronics Corp. in hopes to meet their operation goal of increasing LED lighting revenue share by 20 percent next year.

Revolution Lighting Technologies, Inc. announced it has acquired Tri-State LED in a cash and stock transaction. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

When it launches the new Osram Ostar Medical, Osram Opto Semiconductors will be introducing the first LED component with a high color-rendering index (CRI) of 95 and the possibility of adjusting the temperature of the color white. This makes it ideal for medical applications – for instance in operating rooms, where a precisely controlled chromaticity coordinate and high natural color rendering are crucial.

Intematix Corp., a leading innovator of patented phosphor solutions for high-quality LED lighting, today announced the volume shipments of their remote phosphor component that enables 150W equivalent LED retrofit lamps. This production release adds to the product family already enabling 40W, 60W, 75W and 100W bulb replacements all using a similar omnidirectional form factor.

Toshiba Corporation (TOKYO:6502) today announced that it has launched “TLP2391”, a high-speed photocoupler for servo motors and programmable logic controllers (PLCs) which works with both plus and minus LED currents. Mass production is scheduled to start in December.

U.S. manufacturer Veeco and German company Aixtron that have long possessed China’s LED epitaxal wafer MOCVD market, will be facing “war declarations” issued by Chinese manufacturers, according to a report by Chinese newspaper The National Business Daily. 

China’s National Development and Reform Commission and others announced the country’s latest strategic new industry development report at the China Hi-tech Fair on Nov. 16, 2013. Most industries remain small in Guangdong Province’s eight strategic new industries, according to the province’s latest strategic new industry report.

Over the past few years, Japan has seen an upsurge in energy conservation awareness. In the wake of the Tohoku earthquake in 2011, the government has even proposed plans for a “low-carbon society”. LED products have since experienced rapid popularization becoming the poster child for energy saving products. A recent survey shows the Japanese LED market size will undergo explosive growth in 2012 of 195 percent to $420.4 billion Japanese yen (US $4.2 billion),as reported by Liberty Times.

Photonics Industry and Technology Development Association (PIDA) compiled a list of the top 10 global LED lighting manufactures, according to Economic Daily News, with international heavy weights Philips, Osram, and Panasonic among the top three. No Taiwanese manufacturers made the list. Taiwanese lighting brands currently include China Electric, Everlight, Delta, Tatung, Adata, Tsannkuen, and Leotek.

Taiwanese upstream LED chip manufacturers’ 3Q13 financial results showed gross profit margin improvements.

Lunis 2 micro controls/emergency: the professional modules from OSRAM´s subsidiary Siteco combine intelligent functionality with aesthetic design. The modules are suitable for a number of applications for the office, lodging, hospitality and retail outlets. Available in the models Lunis 2 micro controls, Lunis 2 micro emergency as well as a combined model.

Philips and Desso - global leaders in lighting and carpets respectively - today announce a partnership agreement to develop solutions that combine LED lighting with light transmissive carpet. This innovation will further unlock the potential of LED integration into surfaces and adds an exciting dimension to interior design and space planning. The solution will transform the way people interact with information and their environment in offices, hotels, conference centers and other public buildings.

Wavien, Inc. announces the opening of a unique custom products service that can build targeted prototypes with various types and brands of LEDs, RLT recycling collars, lenses, and heat-sinks. Wavien, as a technology development and licensing company, establishes this service to provide a user-friendly process for potential licensees to evaluate the RLT technology, build initial products, test market, and eventually license Wavien's technology.

Large international brands including Nichia, Osram, and Toyoda Gosei have begun to work more closely together in exchanging authorized patents to increase market control, noted Fan Bing, technical director of the software and integrated circuit promotion center under China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). Big brands patent partnership strategies aim to monopolize high-end technologies and markets, and to acquire higher profits before the semiconductor lighting market matures. 

Smartphones are driving up demands for flash LED. Aside from Philips Lumileds, Cree, Osram and other leading global manufacturers in the flash market, Taiwanese and Korean manufacturers are also entering the market. Samsung plans to switchits flash LED package specs from 4139 to 2016. Following various manufacturers  production launch, industry insiders estimate larger price cuts for flash LEDs in 1Q14.

Taiwan package manufacturer Harvatek reported a turnaround in 3Q13 after seven straight quarters of loss. Benefiting from an increase of 50 to60 percent in production capacity utilization rate in 3Q as well as investments of NT $22.39 million (US $758 thousand) in 3Q, revenue reached NT $1.24 billion, a quarterly growth of 9.86 percent.

Taiwanese LED packager Edison Opto’s  3Q13 financial results showed the company’s consolidated revenue reached NT$ 826 million (US$ 27.99 million) and underwent a Year-on-Year (YoY) growth rate of 44.89 percent and Quarter-on-Quarter (QoQ) of 1.6 percent. Under market cutthroat price competition in 2Q, consolidated profit margin was up 7.7 percent compared to 2Q13 to 19.97 percent.

Building owners and operators are becoming increasingly aware of the impact lighting can have on energy costs and the way it can contribute to savings. But the best lighting technology for each application must first be identified before maximum savings can be achieved.

The advancements made in chip architecture and phosphor technology are the key ingredients to the performance enhancement of the new high-power LED Z5-M1 series.The efficacy enhancements in the new Z5-M1 series not only ensure a reduction in luminaire development costs incurred by Seoul Semiconductor customers, but also enable the best possible color over angle homogeneity with the new phosphor coating technology

Konica Minolta Sensing Americas, Inc. (KMSA), the worldwide leader in the industrial measurement of color and light, is continuing to build on its industry-leading position in light and display measurement technology by exploring new business opportunities and gaining entry into new markets with the newly acquired Instrument Systems GmbH (IS) product line. Beginning third quarter 2013, the company gained exclusive distribution rights to Instrument Systems product portfolio in North America and Canada following the acquisition by Konica Minolta Optics, Inc. (KMOP).

To help Filipinos devastated by Typhoon Haiyan, Watts of Love has launched an emergency disaster relief campaign to deliver as many as 10,000 solar LED lanterns to the Philippines. A donation of $40 will cover the cost of one disaster relief light and power kit with a built-in cell phone charger and radio charger.