Strong LED market demands this year have led to patterned sapphire substrate (PSS) manufacturers expanded production capacity, according to “2014 Global Sapphire Substrate Market Report” by LEDinside, a LED research division of TrendForce. The 4-inch PSS market current supply shortage situation was mostly caused by Taiwanese and Chinese LED chip manufacturers introduction of large volume PSS into products, and manufacturers shift towards 4-inch PSS production. However, since manufacturers are expected to expand PSS production by the end of the year, tightened market supply conditions are expected to ease. 

During the first half of 2014, China’s LED industry kept up high growth rates, a trend extended from 2013. Industry insiders have reached a consensus that LED lighting demands will propel this trend well into 2016. Related industries have started production expansion, talent headhunt, and distribution channels establishment. These companies have stuck it out during the LED industry’s initial restructure phase, and do not want to miss out on the exponentially growing LED lighting market.

A recent CNET article demonstrates how Philips LED Hue bulbs can be customized into severe weather warning lights using Internet platform service IFTTT. For full demo of how it can be done on IFTTT please see link.

Nichia Corporation, headquartered in Tokushima and directed by President Eiji Ogawa, announced today its decision to commercialize blue and green semiconductor laser diode models specifically designed for automotive Head-Up Display (HUD) systems*1 .

OSRAM Licht’s supervisory board has designated Dr. Werner Brandt (60) as the successor of the outgoing member Dr. Joachim Faber (64). Faber resignation from office will be effective starting July 1, 2014.

Universal Display Corporation (Nasdaq: OLED), enabling energy-efficient displays and lighting with its UniversalPHOLED® technology and materials, today announced an expanded evaluation agreement with BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. (京东方). Under this agreement, Universal Display will broaden its collaboration with BOE and supply additional highly efficient phosphorescent OLED (PHOLED) materials for display applications.

Belleds Techologies launched a new video today showing how the Q light bulb notifications are easy enough for a cat to enjoy. Most people are sick of their smartphones bothering them with beeps or clicks when they get home. Belleds integrates notifications into the SmartHome by using LED lights to alert people to important messages without interrupting family and friends activities.

After successfully illuminating more than two dozen sports venues across North America with its revolutionary LED arena lights, Ephesus Lighting in partnership with Durham, N.C.-based Cree, Inc. and Duke University, is taking its innovative stadium lighting solution outdoors. Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium, a multi-purpose outdoor facility that serves as home of the women’s field hockey team and is also used for campus recreation and club sports, will become the first NCAA Division I outdoor college sports venue to be lit with LED lighting. The ground-breaking announcement was made Tuesday by Amy Casper, CEO of Ephesus Lighting and Mike Cragg, Deputy Director of Athletics for Operations of Duke University.

New Title 24 lighting efficiency regulations that take effect in California today are likely to fuel demand for hardware and software solutions that Silicon Valley companies are poised to fulfill. Changes to California’s Title 24 are designed to reduce energy consumption as much as 30% in commercial and public spaces. Most of the changes rely on electronic components and software controls that are becoming more common with the adoption of LED based lighting solutions. Advances have already been made for street lighting and parking lots and further efficiency gains will be realized. But the real energy savings ahead will be the result of more stringent regulations for indoor spaces, specifically retail, hospitality and office environments, where lighting is used for a significant part of the day.

Once news broke of Epistar’s acquisition of FOREPI, all eyes turned to China based chip manufacturer San’an Optoelectronics (San’an Opto), eager to see how the company would react. 

The global 40W equiv. LED bulb Average Selling Price (ASP) declined 3.2 percent to US $14.20 in May, with price decreases most evident in China. Additionally, the ASP for 60W equiv. LED bulbs dipped slightly by 3.6 percent to US $19.50. With continual LED bulb ASP declines, manufacturers are looking to smart bulbs to break free from intense pricing competition, according to the latest LED bulb retail findings for May 2014 from LEDinside, a division of research organization Trendforce. 

Royal Philips  today announced that it will start the process to combine its Lumileds (LED components) and Automotive lighting businesses into a stand-alone company within the Philips Group. Philips will explore strategic options to attract capital from third party investors for this business. Philips intends to remain a shareholder and customer of the new company, and will continue the existing innovation collaboration.

One of the requirements to fully enjoy a haute cuisine dish is to have more precise, more diffuse and better quality light. The light, color and smell are part of the ritual of tasting a delicious delicacy. The Pont de Louysse hotel-restaurant, which has been well aware of this fact over 5 generations, has renovated the lighting in its restaurant with GE Lighting LED lamps to get the most out of each visitor experience. 

Power management company Eaton today announced that more than 4.8 km – totaling nearly three miles – of the io™ light-emitting diode (LED) lights from its Cooper Lighting Division have been installed in Terminal 2 (T2) of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai, India. The io LED products are designed for wall grazing, combining energy efficiency with optical performance excellence, helping the facility to earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification.

INSTEON announced that its connected home devices are now available in Microsoft retail stores. Previously, INSTEON announced its all-new apps for Windows Phone and Windows 8.1 and product availability on MicrosoftStore.com

Digital Lumens, the leader in intelligent LED lighting systems, today announced that its Intelligent LED Lighting System meets the recently updated requirements of the California Title 24 Energy Standards for indoor commercial and industrial lighting applications.

Lighting supplier and manufacturer, LED Waves, is pleased to announce some changes to the Rio Grande™ Waterproof Flexible LED Strip Light. This best-selling strip is especially popular among professional lighting designers for its sturdy, DIY-friendly construction, and for the extremely high lumen output of its LEDs. These qualities (which best lend the Rio Grande to edge-lit signage and retail displays, cove lighting, and other applications requiring a powerful indirect light source) will remain unchanged.

Backed by a strong commitment to provide innovative exterior LED lighting solutions, Amerlux introduces the new AVISTA LED Light Engine for illuminating nearly any traditional exterior lighting fixture for both new and retrofit installations. AVISTA can be used in a traditional post top and other fixtures designed for street lighting, parks, pedestrian walkways, recreational areas, parking lots, schools and municipalities. Amerlux is a global leader in innovation, manufacturing and creative lighting solutions for a broad range of commercial, retail, hospitality and institutional environments.

Hubbell Lighting, a world leader in lighting innovation, announced today that Columbia Lighting has unveiled a new website and also now offers a free mobile app for both Apple and Android devices.

Top Taiwanese LED chip manufacturers Epistar and FOREPI have officially merged, the two companies announced at a joint press conference held in Taipei, Taiwan on June 30, 2014. The two companies announced the merger will integrate the two companies resources, production capacity, and staff to meet market demands and improve revenue performances.

Taiwan-based manufacturers Epistar and FOREPI today announced merge plans. Through conversion of shares, FOREPI will become a 100 percent fully owned subsidy of Epistar. The trend of acquisitions within the LED industry will continue in 2014, observed LEDinside, a research division of TrendForce. Epistar’s merger with FOREPI will improve production capacity, cost management, as well as client and product integration. After the merge, the two companies will also be able to jointly resist market threats from Chinese LED chip manufacturer San’an Optoelectronics (San’anOpto). 

Sapphire substrate related manufacturers are unable to meet increasing demands as the LED lighting industry enters peak season and Apple prepares to launch the new iPhone 6. Prices for upstream ingot and downstream substrate increased in 3Q14, with ingot prices up 5-10 percent. Rise in price has driven up business performance for sapphire substrate related manufacturers.

Epistar has finally decided to acquire FOREPI, and will be announcing the details of the deal later today, according to several Taiwanese media reports.

Roshow Technology (Roshow) reported a dramatic drop in profits earned in the first half of 2014 compared to the same period in 2013 on June 29, 2014. 

Looking at the current lighting market, smart lighting has already become a new product that manufacturers such as Philips are rushing to release. It was a hot topic not only at the Light+Building exhibition in Germany, but also in the recent Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition earlier this month. The smart lighting market is still in its early stages of development, but manufacturers are eager to expand. The market anticipates to enter into a rapid growth period within one to two years. 

For the Zumtobel Group the 2013/14 financial year was marked by the fundamental redirection of the international lighting group. In a phase of dynamic change, particularly with regard to the technology shift to LEDs, the Group’s new CEO Ulrich Schumacher, who took office on 1 October 2013, has chosen to focus on a consistent multi-brand strategy, intensive collaboration within the Group and flat, efficient organisational structures. The new structures that were implemented on 1 December 2013 support the stronger entrepreneurial management of the Zumtobel Group, the optimal utilisation of production and sales synergies and the strengthening of the Group’s innovative power.

Ire-Tex, a Malaysian company specializing in protective plastic packaging for electronics has announced plans of entering LED market, after acquiring an automation, electronic design and packaging company Zoomic Automation and Zoomic Technology, according to a recent report by Malaysian media The Star.

LG has launched two new 4K curved OLED TVs in the UK, available in 77in and 64in screen sizes. The OLED TVs will be available in the UK by October 2014 at US $ 10,000 and US $34,000 respectively.

GE today unveiled Link, a new and affordable connected LED bulb that lets consumers remotely control their home lighting from anywhere in the world and sync with other connected devices. Enabled by the new Wink app, Link eliminates the need for expensive add-ons typically associated with connected devices, making it an easy and cost-effective way for consumers to light up their smart homes.

LED technology and a compact design make this lamp an excellent replacement upgrade option for paint booths and hazardous locations where flammable chemical vapors are present.