LED automotive lighting market has gained traction over the last few years, and each year manufacturers are developing more advanced products to meet market demands. At Taipei AMPA 2016, which took place at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center and Hall 1 TWTC Exhibition Hall 1 Area A from April 6-9, 2016, LEDinside observed several distinctive market trends:

Royal Philips has listed six banks and filed draft documents to the Dutch market regulator for a possible IPO for its lighting division as it proceeds the sale of the lighting business, according to a recent Bloomberg report.

Harnessing the power of the sun and creating light-harvesting or light-sensing devices requires a material that both absorbs light efficiently and converts the energy to highly mobile electrical current. Finding the ideal mix of properties in a single material is a challenge, so scientists have been experimenting with ways to combine different materials to create "hybrids" with enhanced features. 

The latest report from LEDinside, a division of TrendForce, finds the total value of the global LED market (include both visible and non-visible LED products) arrived at US$14.32 billion in 2015, representing YoY growth of -3%. The market witnessed its first annual decline in value last year mainly because of the price war among the LED manufacturers, with the ASPs of some mainstream LED packages suffering a drop of 40% or more compared with 2014. The rising U.S. dollar also resulted in falling revenues for many manufacturers.

Lawbreakers will now have a more difficult time recognizing the profile of the best-selling police vehicle in their rearview mirrors.

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Meizu will be launching its latest model Meizu Pro 6 on April 13, 2016, with recent market rumors from China pointing the new phone might be equipped with LED ring flash, reported Android Headlines.

UV-A LEDs are primarily used for curing. Presently, curing also represents 52% of the UV-A market in terms of applications. Wu noted that UV-A LED manufacturers will evade the challenge of price competition by offering highly customizable solutions in the future. This means working closely with curing machine vendors in every aspect of product development, such as the LED wavelength, the design of the UV LED module, the composition of the UV adhesive and the design of the cooling system.

Opportunity Raleigh Orthopaedic Clinic may be the oldest orthopaedic practice in the area, but with the opening of their new 98,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art practice headquarters and surgery center in northwest Raleigh, they’ve stepped into the 21st century in a big way.

One of the largest and most modern logistics centres in Europe is located at Baunatal near Kassel in Germany – the original parts centre for Volkswagen. More than 450,000 VW original components are dispatched from the location to seven domestic sales centres and 83 countries. As part of the "Think Blue. Factory." campaign, Volkswagen also aimed to set standards in terms of energy saving, and as a consequence it was decided to sustainably upgrade the company’s employee car park with 500 parking lots. Energy savings of 65% are now achieved with the new lighting installation from Osram based on innovative LED luminaires and intelligent light control. Thanks to electricity cost savings, the investment is also paid back within three years.

Corning Incorporated and OLEDWorks LLC, along with innovation facilitator NineSigma, today announced an OLED lighting design open innovation contest.

A new Kickstarter campaign by Softpanels has introduced a radically new line of intelligent production lighting fixtures. Softpanels’ new breakthrough is centered around building an advanced color meter into each of its new LED soft light fixtures, where every light can instantly read the current ambient color conditions and then automatically and exactly match the new lighting fixtures color output to the scene’s ambient light. 

Hubbell Lighting, a world leader in lighting innovation, announced today that Dual-Lite has launched its new EV4R Series - a recessed, ceiling-mounted, emergency light with superior emergency lighting coverage.

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.