Left bleeding from price wars over the past few years, LED manufacturers are seeking alternative markets and restructuring business strategies. Epistar for instance is looking into niche markets including GaN power devices and specialized lighting, said Carson Hsieh,Vice President, R&D Center,Epistar during his presentation at LEDforum 2015, which took place recently at Room 201, National Taiwan University Hospital International Convention Center, Taipei, Taiwan.

Today OPPLE Lighting and Seaborough announced the signing of a technical cooperation agreement (TCA) which is the initial step towards the production of the world’s first universally interchangeable LED light tube; the oneTLed. The agreement was signed by Paul van Doorn, CEO of Seaborough and Martijn van Rheenen CEO of Momentum Capital, the Private Equity group behind Seaborough. For OPPLE Jeroen Janssen, Managing Director Europe and group CTO, Qi Xiao Ming, signed the contract. The signing took place during an official state visit dinner in Shanghai in the presence of His Majesty King Willem Alexander and the Dutch Minister of foreign Affairs, Koenders.

The world’s second largest decorative luminaire lighting show, The Hong Kong International Lighting Fair (Autumn Edition), kicked off on Oct. 27 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center. In its 17th year, the four day lighting show was mainly split into two themes “The Hall of Aurora” and “World of Outdoor Lighting and Lighting Accessories.”

Leyard Optoelectronic announced that the company is to launch private placement of 120 million shares to raise about RMB 1.98 billion (US $312 million). The company will utilize RMB 1 billion to obtain 100% of Planar’s share.

HC SemiTek Corporation announced that its subsidiary Suzhou HC SemiTek Corporation received a RMB 56.4 million (US $8.88 million) subsidy for 3Q15 development from committee of Zhangjiagang Economic and Technological Development Zone.

A national press ad in UK, seen on 24 January 2015, stated “Have you seen the (blue) light? . Did you know that some blue light, from smartphone screens to sunshine, can affect your eyes?...Many modern gadgets, whether it’s a fancy LED TV or your smartphone, as well as sunlight and energy-saving light bulbs, give off a certain kind of blue light that can cause your retinal cells to deteriorate over time. Boots Opticians can help you protect your eyes from harmful blue light, reducing damage to retinal cells. For GBP 70 (US $106.82), new Boots Protect Plus Blue lenses come with a special finish that filters out the harmful blue light and eases eye strain and fatigue”.

Dow Corning Corp. today announced third quarter sales of US $1.39 billion and net income of $72 million. Adjusted net income in the third quarter decreased 1% to $108 million. Through the three quarters, Dow Corning's adjusted net income, which excludes unusual items, has increased 6 percent despite decreased sales impacted largely by the strong United States dollar.

Almost 30 years ago, Nike was asked to collaborate on a movie that would feature scenes set in the futuristic world of 2015. The brand was challenged to imagine sneakers that would suit the inhabitants of the advanced era. The innovation team, which regularly looks into a crystal ball of athlete insight and technology to project the future of sport, took that task further.

Resta Peth, a region in Pune City in the state of Maharashtra, India, has rolled out its LED bulb distribution scheme, reported The Times of India.

LED filaments instead of tungsten wire. Osram Opto Semiconductors presents the Soleriq L 38, the first filament LED in its product range. The long thin shape of the LEDs provides the basis for filament lamps which, in terms of their appearance and their emission characteristics, are more than a match for their incandescent lamp predecessors. The Soleriq LEDs offer an extremely uniform color appearance and quality of light, creating a pleasant atmosphere. They are therefore ideal for aesthetic lighting applications in the home and in hotels and restaurants.

Luminis (www.luminis.com), an established innovator and manufacturer of specification grade lighting solutions today announced the release of Syrios Square. An addition to the existing Syrios family of award-winning exterior luminaires, the Syrios Square series delivers the same high performance and clean aesthetic in a new housing shape.

Councillors have approved plans to upgrade street lights across Edinburgh, saving the city an estimated GBP 77 million (US $117.56 million) over the next 20 years.

Zumtobel has delivered a new architectural lighting scheme for Oxford University’s Museum of Natural History. As a Grade I listed building, the design and installation process was challenging; however the performance of the LED products, the expertise of Zumtobel and a collaborative approach from the project team has resulted in a spectacular lighting solution that meets the complex requirements of the space.

tLight Ltd. today launches its tLight S3i LED desk light with powerful true-color light output and charging dock for recharging all iPhone and iPods with Lightning connector. With the additional USB port the tLight can also recharge other tablets and most smartphones.

Financial scandals this year has pressured Toshiba to speed up the restructure of its less profitable businesses. Following the confirmation on Wednesday that it will be selling its CMOS sensor business to Sony, market rumors have pointed to the company’s intention to withdraw its white LED business, which has incurred consecutive losses. The company might withdraw from discrete component businesses, reported Japanese media Asahi Shimbun.

Most speakers highlighted niche market applications including UV LED, IR LED and automotive lighting market applications and opportunities, during the afternoon session of LEDforum 2015 this year, which took place last Friday at National Taiwan University Hospital International Convention Center in Taipei, Taiwan.

Rapid developments in lighting technology are shifting driver demands, said David Lucchetti, Director of Marketing and Application Industrial, Power and Discrete Group Greater China and South Asia Region, STMicroelectronics at LEDforum 2015, which took place recently in Taipei, Taiwan.

The City of Martinsville located in the state of Virginia in U.S. plans to upgrade LED streetlight and electric water meters, reported WSLS 10. The project will cost the city US $7.9 million in total, and is still waiting for approval from the city council.

Amerlux CEO and President Chuck Campagna has announced a partnership withEnlighted, Inc., the leading provider of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions for commercial buildings and retail applications. The agreement will enable integration of the most intelligent and advanced lighting sensors and controls with innovative LED lighting fixtures from Amerlux.

Jordan Sullivan, marketing communications co-op at Philips Lighting, interviews U.S. designer Vicki Scuri about her public lighting art works in this latest blog entry.

Panasonic Corporation today announced that it has developed "eneloop solar storage," a small-scale power storage system that provides LED lighting for areas without mains electricity. The product will be shipped to regions in Asia and Africa from November 2015.

Philips transfer of its LED component and automotive lighting business Lumileds to Go Scale Capital was abruptly halted by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) over national security concerns, reported The Economic Times on Monday.

Middle East country Bahrain plans to initiate the second phase II of its LED Traffic Signals Project next month, said Kadhim Abdul Latif, Acting Roads Assistant Undersecretary at the Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning.

The UN and The World Bank Group are seeking alternative clean lighting and solar energy to reduce global poverty, reported UAE media The National.

Soraa’s Chief Scientist Aurelien David shares his insight on LED lighting challenge beam quality in this latest blog entry.

At this week’s Meeting of the International Microelectronics Assembly and Packaging Society (IMAPS 2015), imec and CMST (imec’s associated lab at Ghent University) present a novel technology for thermoplastically deformable electronics enabling low-cost 2.5D free-form rigid electronic objects. The technology is under evaluation in Philips LED lamp carriers, a downlight luminaire and a omnidirectional light source, to demonstrate the potential of this technology in innovative lighting applications.

An Israeli design group kicked off a fundraising campaign for a sound activated gaming dice called Boogie Dice on Kickstarter, targeting a US $50,000 fund and has received US $113,842 so far.

The newly designed intermediate storey of the Marienplatz subway and metro station in Munich, Germany was inaugurated this Monday. The concept drawn up by the architects Allmann Sattler Wappner and the lighting designer Ingo Maurer gives the subterranean mezzanine a bright, clearly arranged and customer-friendly appearance following a construction period of three and a half years. Up to 200,000 passengers enter this traffic node daily, following modernisation by the Munich municipal authorities (SWM) and the Munich transport company (MVG). An essential element of the design is the orange-red light ceiling installed in the central ticket hall, where more than 1,000 Osram light lines have been installed for illumination.

v2 Lighting Group, an innovator in the specification lighting market, is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Shelly as the Central Regional Sales Manager. His industry experience and knowledge will promote v2 Lighting Group’s continued growth in the region.

Plessey announced today that it will provide CIRCADIAN ZircLight, a global leader in providing 24/7 workforce performance solutions, with an LED package solution for the development of circadian-modulated, smart LED lighting systems and lamps.