Following LCD and AMOLED, micro-LED has emerged as the next-generation display technology that is expected to be deployed widely in various applications. Increasing interests from electronics giants Apple and Sony during the recent period have encouraged further investments in micro-LED and accelerated the timetable for its commercialization. The latest analysis from LEDinside, a division of TrendForce, forecasts that micro-LED displays for smart wearable devices will enter the mass production stage in 2018. The technology will become available for smartphones later in 2020.   “Compared with the existing technologies, micro-LED offers significant improvements in many areas, including brightness/contrast, energy efficiency and response time,” said LEDinside analyst Philip Chang. “It also satisfies the demand for higher pixel density (expressed as pixels per inch or PPI) and other product design requirements, such as flexible and transparent screens. In sum, micro-LED overcomes the limitations of both LCD and AMOLED, and the mass production of displays based on this technology is foreseeable in the near future despite many unresolved technical issues.” Chang added: “Currently, the most significant technical hurdle that prevents the mass production of micro-LED displays is finding the best balance in the trade-off between pixel density and pixel volume. In this matter, Apple and Sony diverge in their strategies to commercialize the technology.”

Power management company Eaton, a 2016 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year, today announced the launch of the Dim-to-Warm (D2W™) technology for its Portfolio and Halo® LED recessed downlighting product lines for residential and commercial spaces. The award-winning D2W technology mimics the performance of an incandescent halogen lamp source when dimmed, smoothly dimming from a whiter LED color temperature to a warm, soft glow to create an inviting environment.

Osram announced after one year of carefully selecting bidders that it would sell its general LED lighting business LEDVANCE to MLS for EUR 40 million (US $44.7 million), about three days ago. Chinese press have compared the deal to a marriage between couples, where MLS paid a hefty dowry to win over the German lighting giant’s general lighting division.

About 167,000 streetlights in Porvorim, the capital of Goa state in India, will be replaced with LED bulbs in seven months, said the Power Minister Milind Naik at a State Legislative Assembly recently, reported Herald.

Samsung will be investing KRW 17 trillion (US $15 billion) in 3-D NAND flash memory chips and OLED panels, that are both key smartphone components to stay ahead of competition, reported The Korean Herald.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign have developed a new method for making brighter and more efficient green light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Using an industry-standard semiconductor growth technique, they have created gallium nitride (GaN) cubic crystals grown on a silicon substrate that are capable of producing powerful green light for advanced solid-state lighting.

California Lighting Technology Center (CLTC) of UC Davis is developing an integrated building control system for existing commercial buildings. To date, few research efforts have accounted for the interdependence of lighting, fenestration and HVAC systems and the consideration of HVAC status in an integrated approach to optimize whole building energy-efficiency via a single, unified control platform. 

LAVA’s design for the new Philips Lighting Headquarters features an experiential welcome in the atrium and office spaces that foster creativity. 

Recently, Gtek’s 1855 meter square (m2) outdoor full color curved LED display in Shantou installation has been completed successfully. This project is the largest outdoor LED display in Southern China and is highly praised by the customer.

Dermatouch, a leading beauty brand that develops innovative, clean, and effective products for consumers, introduces a new UV/LED light therapy and lifting system, called the Dermatouch Skinforce Dermajuvenate.

The Genie Company announces a unique innovation that brings an important new twist to a common Product with its Genie LED light bulb, designed with features specifically for garage door openers.

The acquisition of the year happened on Tuesday, when Osram stated top Chinese LED chip package manufacturer MLS along with two other investors absorbed its general lighting business, LEDVANCE. If you had been following LEDinside since last November, MLS General Manager Lawrence Lin had spoken on multiple occasions about ongoing talks, and that it was close to sealing the deal just a couple weeks ago. Osram authorized trademark usage and as part of the deal MLS will be buying white LED chips from the German lighting giant’s plant in Malaysia once the fab enters mass production phase.

Vietnam Int’l LED/OLED & Lighting Show (LEDTEC ASIA 2016) is a global business and networking event for the LED/OLED and lighting industrial community held from Sep 28(Wed)~30(Fri), 2016 at the International Center For Exhibition (I.C.E.) in Hanoi, Vietnam. This professional trade show brings your business face-to-face with potential customers, updates you with the latest technology and industry trends and helps you remain one step ahead of a constantly changing global lighting market.

With the domestic market approaching saturation, branded Chinese LCD TV vendors see overseas expansion as the only means to grow their market shares and raise their brand recognition. The latest example of this approach is the acquisition of the U.S.-based consumer electronics maker VIZIO by LeEco, a rising Internet brand in the Chinese LCD TV market. Reports of VIZIO being up for sale gained traction after Foxconn’s acquisition of Sharp, and the US $2 billion deal with LeEco was finally announced on July 27.

BenQ announces a new outdoor entertainment solution that will transform camping at night into an experience that you’ll never forget. GS1 will soon become the outdoor camping gear you won’t leave home without!

Power management company Eaton announced that owners of the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York, home of the National Hockey League’s (NHL®) Buffalo Sabres, are installing its advanced Ephesus sports lighting light-emitting diode (LED) and controls system. Featuring industry-leading controls functions, the LED system enhances the viewing experience for spectators while reducing energy use by as much as 75%.

Uniroyal Global Engineered Products (or the “Company”) upgraded the lighting infrastructure to more energy efficient LED lighting in its North American manufacturing plant located in Stoughton, Wisconsin. The Stoughton plant manufactures Uniroyal Global’s Naugahyde®, automotive and custom/specialty vinyl-coated fabric products. Utilizing an incentive from Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s statewide program for energy efficiency and renewable energy, the company implemented 575 LED light fixtures within the manufacturing plant’s production floor and warehouse. 

Dow reported earnings per share of $2.61, or operating earnings per share of $0.95. This compares with Earnings per Share (EPS) of $0.97 in the year-ago period, or operating EPS of $0.91. Certain Items in the quarter primarily reflected a $2.20 per share gain related to the Dow Corning ownership restructure and a $0.27 per share charge for costs associated with the restructuring plan announced in the quarter. The tax rate was impacted by Certain Items. Excluding these, the tax rate was within the Company’s modeling guidance.

Japanese design firm teamLab is inviting visitors a chance to “Wander through the Crystal Universe” with their latest LED lighting installation composed of LED lights and mirrors.

MaxLite introduces the LED Acrylic High Bay Pendant as high output lighting with exceptional efficacy and architectural appeal for large-scale commercial interiors.

Plant Growth Lighting: LED has a promising prospect for the plant lighting market. The expected market scale is going to increase rapidly. The market scale in 2016 is about USD 575 million and LEDinside estimates it will increase to USD 1.424 billion in 2020.   Surgical Lighting: in 2016, The global medical surgical lamps market scale gradually increased from USD 612 million in 2016 to 787 million in 2020.   Marine Lighting: According to LEDinside estimates, in 2016, global LED marine market scale is USD 233 million. Compared with general lighting, since there are strict laws and regulations for lamps in the ships, they have a higher and relatively steady price. The global shipping industry faces the pressure of overcapacity, so the number of newly increased ships is limited. In addition, the usage period of marine lighting lamps is long, so LED marine lighting increasing momentum is mainly from the replacement needs. To sum up, LED marine lighting is a kind of specialty lighting application with steady production value as well as high profits.   Harbour Lighting: According to LEDinside estimates, in 2016, the global LED harbor lighting market scale is USD 587 million. For harbor lighting puts forward strict requirements for environment, lighting must have the high protective grade and erecting height. Most harbor lighting lamps adopt high-power LED lighting lamps to replace HID lamps. Their price and specification are much higher than that of traditional lamps. But since the number of harbors is relatively fixed, LED harbor lighting increasing momentum is mainly from the replacement needs. To sum up, LED harbor lighting is a kind of specialty lighting application with steady production value as well as high profits.   Smart Lighting: The global smart lighting market scale in 2015 is estimated to be USD 1.716 billion, although the LED lighting lamps entered the age of low cost, the smart lighting market has not matured and scale effects has not formed, the relevant software and hardware are costly, therefore, the current smart lighting market is small, however, with the maturing of technology and products in future, the active promotion by manufacturers and the popularization of smart lighting related concepts, the market will grow continuously, expected to reach USD 13.427 billion in 2020.

German-based lighting manufacturer OSRAM has agreed to sell its lamp business unit LEDVANCE to a Chinese consortium that is led by IDG Capital Partners and includes LED manufacturer MLS and Yiwu State-Owned Assets Operation Center. The sale was announced on July 26 and represents a landmark deal in which Chinese LED manufacturer successfully acquires an oversea target with the help of an international investment group. “The sale of LEDVANCE shows major international lighting companies are exiting the LED lighting business due to its unprofitable outlook,” said Roger Chu, research director of LEDinside, a division of TrendForce. “On the other hand, Chinese LED lighting companies have an overall cost advantage and are assisted by the government, so they can take this opportunity to expand their market shares.” 

Osram announced Wednesday that a Chinese investment consortium headed by IDG that comprised of  MLS, and Yiwu State-Owned Assets Operation Center (Yiwu) acquired the German manufacturer’s general lighting business Ledvance for EUR 400 million (US $439.58 million).

Authorities in the Haryana state located in Northern India have made LED bulbs mandatory for all central and state government offices, public sector agencies, institutions and establishments to use LED lamps, reported The Economic Times.

LG Display, the world’s leading innovator of display technologies, announced today that it will invest KRW1.99 trillion (US $1.78 million) in a new 6th generation (1,500mm x 1,850mm) flexible OLED display production line in Paju, South Korea, as part of its preemptive efforts to change and lead the approaching era of flexible OLED screens for mobile devices.

Future-forward LED firm Lighting Science today announced the recent appointment of veteran marketing executive Laura Calenda to the newly-created role of senior vice president of marketing. In this capacity, Calenda will partner with senior leadership to develop and implement national marketing strategy designed to expand its brand presence and educate consumers on its differentiated lighting solutions.

OSRAM agreed to security testing on existing LIGHTIFY products by Security researchers from RAPID7. Since being notified about the vulnerabilities identified by Rapid7, OSRAM has taken actions to analyze, validate and implement a risk-based remediation strategy, and the majority of vulnerabilities will be patched in the next version update, currently planned for release in August.

Hubbell Lighting, announced that it has opened a new regional distribution center in Dallas, Texas, in an effort to support an increase in market demand for its products. It will occupy a portion of CEVA Logistics’ 37,161 meters (400,000 square foot) facility in the Grapevine area of Dallas Fort-Worth.

Gina Balestin, Senior Corporate Marketing Manager at Bridgelux, shares in this blog entry the importance of LED color temperature.

Continuing the expansion of the MeshTek(™) Bluetooth mesh ecosystem, ilumi solutions  announces the shipment of the MeshTek Bluetooth LE modules and lighting controllers to enable a new generation of connected products ranging from smoke alarms to designer lighting. The Mark Cuban-backed and Shark Tank-funded ilumi is offering both standard and high range Bluetooth LE modules that are about the size of a penny and can be inexpensively integrated into nearly any traditional consumer or commercial electronic products for award winning Bluetooth Mesh IoT functionality.