It’s that time of year again, Lightfair 2016 is just around the corner and Philips Lighting is California bound. We look forward to showing you how we deliver new value and experiences through the world’s best quality light to improve your city, your business or your life.

Highlights this week: Apple has dropped Osram Licht from its list of top 200 suppliers and added Royal Philips to its supply chain, ahead of the release of the iPhone 7.

The procurement price of LED bulbs may have hit a record low at INR 54.90 (US $0.82), and it could continue to drop as Indian government promotes energy-efficient technology across the country.

LG Display announced that the company has inked a deal to construct a display module assembly factory in Hai Phong, Vietnam, reported Reuters.

Soraa, the world leader in GaN on GaN™ LED technology, announced that its LED lamps have been installed in the MaNCaR Restaurant in the seaside neighborhood of Alsancak in Izmir, Turkey. MaNCaR is a unique, sophisticated restaurant that attracts both locals and tourists looking for a high-end dining experience, delivering impeccably prepared food and an enchanting ambiance.

Luminaire outages represented the most common complaints when Flint Energies purchased the outdoor power system at Fort Benning, a military training base and home to the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence. Fort Benning, located near Columbus, Georgia, supports more than 120,000 active duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees and civilian employees on a daily basis.

MaxLite introduces Warm-on-Dim LED Downlight Retrofits as the perfect choice for creating ambience while saving energy in hospitality and residential environments.

Cree, Inc. announced an agreement with Pilot Flying J, the largest operator of travel centers in North America, to install indoor and outdoor LED lighting at select locations. The agreement provides for a retrofit of interior and exterior lighting, to include parking lot canopies, downlights and area luminaires for various new and existing travel centers. Using Cree's high-performing LED lighting with SmartCast® Technology, the project is anticipated to generate significant energy savings and eliminate nearly all lighting-related maintenance costs over the duration of Cree’s industry-leading 10 year warranty.

In March, the global average sales price (ASP) of 40W-equivalent (equiv.) LED light bulbs rose 1.2% over the prior month to US$10.3, says the latest price report from LEDinside, a division of TrendForce. The global ASP of 60W-equiv. LED light bulbs also saw a monthly increase of 0.8% to US$14.1.

Apple has dropped Osram Licht from its list of top 200 suppliers and added Royal Philips to its supply chain, ahead of the release of the iPhone 7, reported Bloomberg recently.

German lighting giant Osram’s spin-off of its lamps business into LEDVANCE has completed organizational separation as of April 1, 2016, while the legal separation is scheduled in July 1, 2016. Many lighting vendors have been competing for a chunk of Osram’s lamp business, which LEDinside projects details of the acquisition transaction will become clearer from late April to late May 2016, including the offered price from various bidders, developments of vendors granted priority rights, and other conditions involved in the talks of the separation of LEDvance. Besides weighing in on the potential acquisitor of the lamp business and conditions under the procurement, the deal is under the lime light of the entire lighting and LED business.

Observations of the global economic outlook for 2016 remains dim, with the economy expected to further decline. Despite the grim outlook, the Indian market has emerged as a shining beacon for lighting manufacturers. Rising domestic demands, emphasis on Made in India, tariff-free and other opportunities are encouraging manufacturers to enter the market.

Cree, a market leader in LED lighting, announced preliminary estimates of financial results for its third fiscal quarter ended March 27, 2016. Revenue for the quarter is estimated to be approximately US $367 million, with earnings estimated to be ($0.01) loss to $0.01 per diluted share on a GAAP basis, and $0.13 to $0.15 per diluted share on a non-GAAP basis. These preliminary financial results are subject to completion of the Company’s customary quarterly closing and review procedures.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP, Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP, Organic Electronics Saxony (OES) and Mareike Gast Industrial Design present the “Insect Project” as a highlight of flex+ Open Innovation at the OES LOPEC 2016 booth (Hall B0, Booth 320) and at the joint Fraunhofer booth (ISE, IAP, ISC, IVV) in Munich, Germany, April 6 – 7, 2016.

Using state-of-the-art theoretical methods, UCSB researchers have identified a specific type of defect in the atomic structure of a LED that results in less efficient performance. The characterization of these point defects could result in the fabrication of even more efficient, longer lasting LED lighting.

Kyulux, an advanced materials startup that is commercializing the next generation of OLED display and lighting technology known as TADF (Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence), announced today that Samsung Venture Investment Corporation took the lead in a $13.5 million (¥1.5 Billion Japanese Yen) Series A round of venture funding.  Participating in the round were global OLED panel manufacturers including Samsung Display, LG Display, Japan Display and JOLED, top tier Japanese venture capital funds, and a Japanese Government affiliated venture fund. Kyushu University also announced the transfer of a large portfolio of TADF related patents and equity participation by the university in the financing. 

NEMA’s Lighting Systems Shipments Index, a measure of demand for lighting equipment, decreased 2.6% quarter-to-quarter while posting a 0.1% increase year-over-year during 4Q15. Fixtures, emergency lighting, and miniature lamp, components of the index, gained ground on a year-over-year basis, while ballast and large lamp, components recorded year-over-year declines.

Acuity Brands announced record second quarter results for net sales, net income, and diluted earnings per share (“EPS”). Fiscal 2016 second quarter net sales of US $777.8 million increased $161.7 million, or 26%, compared with the year-ago period. Operating profit for the second quarter of fiscal 2016 was $106.7 million, an increase of $28.1 million, or 36%, over the year-ago period. Net income for the second quarter of fiscal 2016 was $65.5 million, an increase of 41% compared with the prior-year period. Fiscal 2016 second quarter diluted EPS of $1.49 increased 39% compared with $1.07 for the year-ago period.

Don Barnetson, CTO of Lunera Labs outlines five major lighting control and sensor technologies currently on the market, and compares how each measures up in real-life lighting situations.

Philips Clue 02 first prize winner Yeonho Lee sheds light about his winning design in an exclusive interview with Philips Social Media Manager Monique Cousineau.

Panasonic Corporation announced it has developed a light diffusion type polypropylene (PP) resin molding compound, called “FULL BRIGHT”*1 PP, which can extend the operating life of LEDs. The industry’s first*2introduction of a material applicable for injection stretch blow molding enables the formation of complex shapes and contributes to greater product design freedom for customers.

Mimaki USA, a leading manufacturer of wide-format inkjet printers and cutters, today announced the UJV55-320 super wide format UV-LED printer, a 128-inch roll-to-roll model featuring seven ink colors including white for printing on transparent or colored media. It will be on display at various worldwide expositions including in the Mimaki USA booth 1770 at the upcoming International Sign Expo, April 21-23, in Orlando.

Videssence Studio Lighting reveals alliance with Hitachi to create a lively, stimulating Main Camera Stage at this month’s NAB Show. Hitachi Kokusai will utilize LED studio lighting from Videssence to vibrantly illuminate the main stage where featured cameras are displayed and demonstrated.

Energy Focus, Inc. (“Energy Focus”) promises to provide a hassle free warranty to the original end user (“Customer”) for its LED Lighting Products (“LED Product”) wherein the LED Product will be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use and service for a period of ten (10) years from the date of purchase by the Customer (the invoice date); provided the LED Product is installed to the specifications provided in the corresponding Energy Focus Product Specification Sheet. It is the responsibility of Customer and Installer to obtain Specification Sheet from Energy Focus prior to Installation.    The above ten (10) year warranty applies to the following LED Product series:    ‧LEDFL Tubular LED Lamps, ‧LEDDL LED Dock Lights, ‧EFO-LEDSG & EFO-LEDLG Globe Lights, ‧LEDGL LED Hazardous Globe Lights, ‧LEDWP & LEDRFK Retrofit Kits

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and OLEDWorks LLC announced today that OLEDWorks is developing a new lighting prototype with support from NYSERDA that would save energy and not disrupt sleep patterns for patients in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. OLEDWorks will collaborate with Highland Hospital at the University of Rochester Medical Center, which has formed a team of doctors and nurses to provide feedback on the innovative white and amber OLED lighting system.

Philips Lighting, a Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX, PHIA) company and global leader in lighting, unveils new additions to its Entertainment range of Platinum lamps and Showline luminaires at Prolight + Sound 2016. The lamps and luminaires will provide creative tools for lighting designers and are part of the immersive 'be inspired by light and create great experiences' stand concept being showcased at the exhibition. Visitors to the Philips stands will be able to meet Mark Wynn-Edwards, lighting designer for acts from Grace Jones to Jamiroquai, who has created a range of stunning natural scenes such as ‘Walking through the Woods’ featuring the newly-launched lamps and luminaires at the show.

The ONICO LED luminaire family provides new scope for the effective visual presentation of a wide range of goods in the Shop and Retail sector. The modular concept enables the optimum LED module to be combined with the appropriate reflector to meet the demands of specific lighting tasks. The clear, consistent design of the luminaire and the integrated converter add further weight to this holistic approach.

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) announced that ANSI Accredited Standards Committee C12 revised ANSI C12.1-2014 Code for Electricity Metering. This standard establishes acceptable performance criteria for new types of alternating current (ac) watthour meters, demand meters, demand registers, pulse devices, and auxiliary devices. It describes acceptable in-service performance levels for meters and devices used in revenue metering.

EarthTronics introduces high lumen, high efficiency LEDs as an energy-efficient solution for replacing High Intensity Discharge lamps (HID) for interior and exterior applications in parking garages, site and security lighting, high bay warehouse fixtures and post lights. These commercial quality lamps feature high-power LED, durable construction and advanced electronic drivers that provide extended performance life and full omni-directional light output. EarthTronics high lumen, HID replacement LEDs offer 50,000-hour rated life, 5-year warranty and energy savings that exceed 80 percent to provide a solid return on investment.

SYLVANIA Automotive Lighting, the leader in automotive lighting solutions for the automotive aftermarket and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), is supporting the Car Care Council, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating motorists on the importance of regular vehicle care, by commemorating National Car Care Month throughout the month of April.