EarthTronics, dedicated to developing innovative energy-efficient lighting products that provide a positive economic and environmental impact, introduces its new LED Color Changing Panels with a unique high-definition color tunable design to precisely adjust both the color temperature and the light level in office, retail, educational and commercial applications.

Lumileds announced the appointment of Kevin Martin as Senior Vice President of Quality, effective March 1. Martin has over 30 years of experience in Quality, most recently serving as VP of Global Quality at Flextronics.

Cree, Inc. has acquired assets of Infineon Technologies AG Radio Frequency (RF) Power Business for approximately € 345 million. The transaction expands the Cree Wolfspeed business unit’s wireless market opportunity.

As a leading supplier of sensors, measuring systems, laser markers, microscopes, and machine vision systems worldwide, KEYENCE is at the forefront of factory automation. We strive to develop innovative and reliable products to meet the needs of our customers in every manufacturing industry.

Taiwan-based LED chip manufacturer Epistar reported a decrease of 8.59% MoM and a growth of 11.52% YoY in its revenue for January 2018. The slow season and the price decline of LED are factored in for the decrease.

Second generation Tunable White systems consist of two to six linear or area LED modules and corresponding DALI DT8 LED drivers. They cover the entire colour temperature spectrum from 2,700 to 6,500 K, have an extended dimming range down to 3 percent and, together with appropriate control components, provide the hardware basis for human centric lighting.

Chinese lighting companies MLS Co. and Foshan Electrical and Lighting Co. are seeking financial supports for bidding GE’s asset, Reuters reported. The deal is potentially to amount at USD 1 billion, according to sources in the industry.

The prices of most LED package products in the Chinese market remained stable in February 2018, and some of the products saw slight price drop as suppliers tried to clear inventory, says LEDinside, a division of TrendForce.

Samsung Electronics’ newest QLED TVs will offer an unrivalled viewing experience when they are revealed in New York, USA.

LED vertical integration manufacturer Lextar Electronics registered a revenue of NTD 760 million (USD 25.97 million) for February, down 21.7% MoM. The company attributed the revenue decline to the Chinese New Year holiday and product mix adjustment.

Osram announced its Wireless Site Lighting Control (WSLC) Module, extending the ENCELIUM EXTEND Networked Light Management System capability to a building’s surroundings or site such as parking lots, pathways and private roadways. 

Power management company Eaton announced the launch of Halo Home, a Bluetooth mesh, smart lighting system that allows homeowners to automate and control one light or a host of lighting products throughout the home using a smart mobile device. A home can have more than 100 lighting products, and homeowners are turning to connected lighting products for better functionality, security and safety, as well as lifestyle enrichment and wellness.

ERP Power LLC (ERP), a provider of small, smart and connected LED drivers for the lighting industry, announced the appointment of Jeffrey Frank as Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Frank previously served on the ERP Power Board of Directors, and most recently as ERP’s Chief Commercial Officer. ERP co-founder Michael Archerwill focus on his role as Chief Technology Officer while transferring his CEO duties to Mr. Frank.

Kingbright introduces the IR LEDs selection with Infrared, Phototransistor and Sensor in industry standard SMD and Through-Hole packages.

Monocrystal, specializing in synthetic sapphire growing and processing, announces its results for 2017 and plans for 2018.

The TFT-LCD market has already become a red ocean. Korea and Japan take the lead in the OLED market. In terms of display technologies, Taiwan should seize the chance to pioneer the development of Micro LED if it wants to secure a competitive share in the global display market in the future.

Thanks to the close cooperation of all parties involved and the outstanding synergy of the strong Zumtobel Group brands Thorn, Zumtobel and Zumtobel Group Services (ZGS), the customised lighting solution impresses in all areas.

The rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) is definitely pushing our technology to a new level. Now, we can combine LED lighting with sensing and data analyzing capabilities. All these bring the LED industry opportunities to connect with future technologies.

On March 18th, Light + Building Frankfurt, the world’s leading trade fair for lighting and building services technology, is to open in Frankfurt, Germany. After making a great success at the Light+Building 2016, the leading LED lighting enterprise, Shanghai Wellmax Lighting Industry (WELLMAX) will attend the incoming fair from 18th- 23rd March. It is said that WELLMAX has fully prepared to wow its global audience this time.

Philips Lighting announced that in 2017 it reduced its carbon footprint by 20% to 325 kilotonnes CO2 and increased its use of electricity from renewable sources from 67% to 80%. These results highlight the progress the company is making on its Brighter Lives, Better World sustainability program, which was launched in 2016.

Cree announces that it signed a strategic long-term agreement to produce and supply its Wolfspeed silicon carbide (SiC) wafers to Infineon Technologies AG

Philips Lighting announces that it intends to repurchase 2.2 million of its ordinary shares from Royal Philips.

LED lighting industry has been developing towards smart lighting in recent years in order to avoid involving in price wars. In the era of IoT, lighting is no longer individual product, but a systematical solution. Manufacturers are trying to enhance the added value of lighting equipment by integrating functions like Internet of Things and ambient sensing. International manufacturers such as Philips, Osram, and Opple Lighting, a Chinese maker, have all invested heavily in smart lighting R&D to lay the foundation for future market.

Currently, automotive lighting is reported to be the most promising and most mature application market for OLED lighting. In fact, with the latest integration of LED technology, lighting has become a significant feature of cars with potential value rather than a basic function of vehicles, and OLEDs have the real potential to differentiate themselves from LEDs and can provide new added values. The BMW M4 GTS, introduced in 2016, is the first commercial vehicle to incorporate OLED technology in taillights.

Wireless infrastructure provider American Tower and Philips Lighting announced that the City of Huntington Beach, CA will provide high capacity mobile connectivity, high quality LED lighting and smart city enablement with the newly developed Smart Fusion Poles. 

The illuminants are energy-saving, environmental -friendly & easy to install adding luminous glow to high-end jewelry, gold, silver, pearls, precious stones & diamonds.

TV makers, especially Samsung and LG Display, are scrambling for changes and quality upgrades for their products. In 2018, the focus of the competition between the two Korean display manufacturers will shift from QLED vs. OLED to Micro LED.

Smart lighting has been developed for years, but products and applications are not really used widely. In 2017, however, smart lighting has entered rapid development. According to the latest data of LEDinside, the global smart lighting market reached close to US$4.6 billion in 2017 with an annual growth rate of 95%. The market size is expected to reach US$13.4 billion in 2020.

Chinese LED maker HC Semitek announced it has signed an investment framework agreement to establish projects of advanced semiconductors and devices in the Yiwu Information and Optoelectronics Hi-Tech Industrial Park. The signing of the agreement was witnessed by the Yiwu Municipal People’s Government.

It’s not a coincidence that multinational lighting conglomerates like Philips Lighting and LEDVANCE have lately been undergoing transformations, including product mix adjustment, more investments in smart lighting, cutting jobs and quitting production related to traditional lighting.