Zhejiang Jingsheng Mechanical & Electrical Co. (Jingsheng) has put its sapphire project into high gear as sapphire ingot prices rise. Its subsidiary factory in Inner Mongolia has already begun installing sapphire growth furnaces. 

San’an Optoelectronics (San’an Opto) has big plans to become a force to be reckoned with both domestically and internationally. The company is expanding production capacity, releasing announcements one after another, according to a Money DJ report.

The U.S. Department of Energy's CALiPER program has released an Application Summary Report that focuses on the bare-lamp performance of 31 linear LED lamps intended as an alternative to T8 fluorescent lamps. 

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced awards of $4.3 million for 17 projects dedicated to reducing the environmental impact of transportation in New York State. These projects are in line with the governor’s energy vision to increase support for new and innovative clean energy technologies that help reduce dependence on fossil fuels, reduce pollution and promote a cleaner and healthier environment while supporting the growth of the economy.

Displays made of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are very attractive. One of their advantages is that they can be less expensively manufactured using inkjet technology. Companies are aiming to make this process suitable for mass production — for example at AUO in Taiwan, one of the world’s leading display suppliers. 

Intermolecular, Inc. announced that Epistar Corp. and Intermolecular have signed a multi-year extension of their existing collaborative development program (CDP) and royalty-bearing IP licensing agreement to increase the efficiency and reduce the cost of Epistar's light emitting diode (LED) devices.

Japanese cinematographer Takao Inoue has transformed common dandelions into luminescent flowers using OLED technology, according to a Tamago and Spoon Report.

The following Blog post was written by Dietmar Thomas, Manager Brand & Integrated Communications OLED, for Philips Lumiblade. On April 18th, Philips Lumiblade OLEDs did boldly go where no other OLED has gone before. Space. What sounds like the famous beginning of the original Star Trek television series was indeed a big step for the most modern light source on earth.

The City of San Luis Obispo continues to move forward with their Climate Action Plan by upgrading their existing high pressure sodium street lights to Cree® LED lighting, achieving exceptional savings in maintenance and energy consumption while also dramatically improving visibility for drivers and pedestrians alike.

Lunera® Lighting, Inc., a leader in lighting innovations accelerating the transformation to advanced LED technology, today introduced the availability of the Susan Lamp family, adding to Lunera’s leading-edge BallastLED lamp product portfolio. Lunera’s BallastLED technology has created a new market segment for LED lamps. 

As a key visual touchpoint for consumers, bright and evenly illuminated outdoor signage is crucial to the brand image of countless businesses and stores. GE continues to provide business owners and sign makers alike with the reliable, easy-to-install and energy-saving sign lighting they desire with its latest innovation, GE’s LineFit Light LED Lighting System.

San’an Optoelectronics (San’an Opto) released their first quarter fiscal 2014 financial results on April 21, 2014. Production capacity expansion to their LED subsidiaries as well as increased production sales volume boosted operating revenue by 30.7 percent. Government subsidies received in 1Q14 increased non-operating revenue 130 percent YoY.

Elech-Tech has further invested in NVC Lighting. Elec-Tech announced plans to purchase 6.76 percent in shares from Hong Kong listed NVC Lighting on April 22, 2014. This will bring the company’s total share to 27.10 percent, giving Elec-Tech greater influence over NVC Lighting. 

The year started off challenging for Philips, with currency impact from China and Russia and voluntary suspension of their healthcare production facility in Cleveland which resulted in flat comparable sales growth and decline in EBITA. Hoever, Lighting continued to deliver a YoY operational margin improvement. 

Cree, Inc. announced revenue of US $405.3 million for 3Q14, ended March 30, 2014. This represents a 16 percent increase compared to revenue of US $348.9 million reported for 3Q13. “Fiscal Q3 was a solid quarter as revenue and operating income were in line with our target range and the business is well positioned to grow in fiscal Q4,” stated Chuck Swoboda, Cree Chairman and CEO.

The LED street light replacement wave has swept the globe as local governments embrace the low energy consumption and financial advantage they offer. However, in the rush to jump on the green technology bandwagon, governments have overlooked the health issues that LEDs pose to the human body. British citizens have been less than keen over the recent installment of LEDs in boroughs throughout the country. 

After long time testing and verification, TSLC has released its new LED headlamp products. The products fulfill customer’s performance, quality, and price requirements in cooperation with automotive companies. The headlamp products are especially suitable for automotive and motorcycle headlight application due to its excellent high thermal stability, and high luminance characteristics.　 

Novagant, Inc. is pleased to announce that the Company has acquired full proprietary and intellectual property rights to a newly invented light device that can provide programmable and adjustable lighting intended for the indoor growth and cultivation of plants but with a specialization for cannabis plants. This invention will have one of the best pound per watt yield in the industry.

Out of sapphire substrate non-LED applications, mobile devices have shown strongest demands, according to “2014 Global Sapphire Substrate Market Report” by LEDinside, a research division of TrendForce. Sapphire substrate non-LED application is projected to reach 32% this year, with mobile device applications taking a 21% share, said LEDinside.

Last Friday, LEDinside covered a Chinese article that pointed out Dow Corning filed lawsuits against Beijing KMT Technology Co over LED organosilicone glue patent infringment. The patent at stake is actually LED optical silicone encapsulants. The LEDinside editorial team would like to apologize for the misleading terminology translation. For more details on the case, please see Dow Corning’s press release below: 

There was a time when no one thought about light bulbs—one blew, you screwed another one in. Nowadays, it’s more complicated, as energy efficiency concerns have given rise to a slew of options, including incandescent, compact fluorescent lights, and LEDs.

Ottawa City in Canada has proposed halving electricity usage period by retrofitting current streetlights with LEDs, according to a report by The Ottawa Citizen.

Samsung Display aims to dominate the OLED display smartphone market with its OLED A3 fab expansion, according to a report by Business Korea.

Major consumer electronic manufacturers such as Apple, Samsung, and Sony might be battling on the smartwatch front, but for the fashion-conscious the bulky designs have been rather unattractive. Keeping aesthetics in mind, a fairly new U.S.-based company, G-Wearables Team, has launched the world’s smallest LED fitness tracker.

More than one month has passed since Philips Lumiblade posted a teaser video on its Facebook account hinting the company’s OLEDs will be traveling to space on a NASA space shuttle. The tight lipped company has finally revealed the OLED application in space, and to our surprise had nothing to do with the shuttle’s interior lighting. 

SANYO, a leader in providing high quality TVs in America for over 35 years, introduces its 2014 Full HD lineup of LED TVs with 1080p resolution.1 The all-new models with Full HD deliver an unprecedented environment for watching high-definition movies, TV shows, playing video games, and for photo viewing. With stunning clarity, outstanding energy efficiency and easy connectivity, the key features include SANYO's LED Full HD technology for clear images. Some models feature 120 Hz Motion Sync for the user to enjoy high-speed action with almost no motion blur.

Sengled has introduced Pulse by Sengled™, an intelligent bulb with JBL multi-channel stereo wireless speakers. Pulse streamlines light and sound into one seamless system to enrich the atmosphere in personal, family, and public environments. The bulbs are available beginning today at www.sengledplus.com and other online retail outlets.

Japanese manufacturers are beginning to shift market strategies from a product sales promotion approach to value adding technologies, according to a Chinese-language Tech-On report. Manufacturers are restrategizing business approach as the LED industry matures, and profits shrink as LED prices fall.

Last Friday, HC SemiTek announced plans of investing a total of RMB 1.18 billion (US $189.4 million) in the third phase of their LED epitaxial wafer project. The company’s stocks will resume trading today. 

For years, companies have been adding whiteners to laundry detergent, paints, plastics, paper and fabrics to make whites look "whiter than white," but now, with a switch away from incandescent and fluorescent lighting, different degrees of whites may all look the same, according to experts in lighting.