Cree, Inc. introduces the XLamp XB-H LED, the brightest discrete in Cree’s high-density (HD) class of LEDs, delivering a breakthrough combination of lumen output and efficacy in a small package. The XB-H LED brings the lighting-class performance of the XP-G2 LED into a package that is 50 percent smaller. Delivering more than 500 lumens at 1.5 A, 25º C in a 2.45 x 2.45-mm package, the Cree® XB-H LED can enable luminaires that use the same-size-footprint XB-D LED to triple their light output at the same efficacy. 

Sabrino Santano from Philips Lighting introduces U.S. artist Janet Echelman new net sculpture on display in Vancouver, Canada in this new blog entry.

Lextar Electronics Corp. will release an ultra slim direct-lit panel light. Only 28mm in thickness, this new product is free from the stereotypically bulky exterior of its comparable products. Besides, it minimized the number of LED thanks to Lextar's state-of-the-art direct-lit backlighting technology. Lextar's new ultra-slim direct-lit panel light features low glare, creating a new alternative for customers who value both aesthetics and light quality. The Company will debut this new product at "Light + Building Frankfurt 2014" from March 30(th) through April 4(th) , 2014.

Until now, headlamps often needed to be replaced long before the end of a vehicle’s life. For the all-new 2015 Ford F-150, Ford wanted durable headlamps that would last as long, or longer, than the truck. Ford lighting expert John Teodecki and his team found the answer in technology they believe could change truck lighting forever – light-emitting diodes, or LEDs.

Leadray, Taiwanese LED street light manufacturer, opened a new office in Taipei on March 17th at the Taipei World Trade Center. The company successfully won domestic bids for street lights in 2013. Using their past experience and advantages in LED lighting, Leadray plans to actively improve the Southeast Asia and Central American markets in 2014, which lack in infrastructure and electricity.

March is a big month for LED lighting exhibitions. Taiwan International Lighting Show and Light + Building will open later this month and have already garnered much attention from the market, according to Economic Daily News. The LED industry has rebounded this year, with February revenue growth substantially higher compared to last year.

The LED industry has been engulfed in a wave of M&A as it moves into the lighting era. The past few years have been an intense restructuring period for Taiwanese LED chip manufacturers, said Chein Fen-ren, Chairman of FOREPI. The M&A wave has recently hit Chinese LED manufacturers and Chein estimates that within two to three years, Chinese manufacturers will be whittled down from the current 20-30 to only five. 

AIXTRON SE, a leading provider of deposition systems for the semiconductor industry, has launched operations with a new R&D cluster that demonstrates the core processes used to produce organic semiconductors. This enables the various processes for the deposition of organic thin-films which are required for the manufacture of OLEDs and flexible electronics to be demonstrated efficiently and under industrial production conditions.

Halo Belt, a San Francisco based company, successfully concluded its kickstarter project in 2012 for a bright LED belt that improved pedestrian safety at night. The company has recently come back with a new fundraising project for its second generation product Halo Belt 2.0.

Acuity Brands, Inc. announces its new Mark Architectural Lighting™ On the Mark Quick Ship program, which ships a variety of architectural grade specification luminaires in 10 business days. The program features the largest selection of LED products available in quick ship programs of major architectural ambient manufacturers.

Driven by the need to deliver more consistent light output in very slim fixtures, under-cabinet and puck lights benefit from the latest low-power LEDs. 

Hubbell Lighting announced today the first 12,000+ lumen LED fixture designed for high ceiling commercial and architectural interiors where recessed depth is not available—Prescolite’s MegaLum Cylinder. With all the performance advantages of the company’s award winning MegaLum fixture, the MegaLum Cylinder can be surface, cable or pendant mounted and is the perfect alternative to T4 quartz (up to 500 watts) and metal halide (up to 250 watts) sources for ceiling heights of 20 to 60 feet (6.09 to 18.28 meters).

Factory automation and inspection carried out by machine vision systems is becoming increasingly important in the production processes of diverse industries such as automotive, electronics and pharmaceutical packaging. To support high-performance image processing, SCHOTT MORITEX has increased its product portfolio of lighting and illumination systems with its new CompaVis™ LED series. The series consists of 40 different models in a variety of configurations and colors.

X-FAB Silicon Foundries will exhibit its high-performance power management solutions in 0.18 and 0.35 micrometer technologies at the Applied Power Electronics (APEC) 2014 Conference and Exposition in Fort Worth, Texas, next week. These solutions include its ultra-high-voltage CMOS process and a new analog cell library available in its XU035 process that helps engineers design monolithic AC/DC converters. APEC is the premier event in Applied Power Electronics™; it focuses on the practical and applied aspects of the power electronics business.

Petra Solar, a global technology provider for the renewable energy, energy efficiency, and distributed power generation markets, announced that it has changed its name to Petra Systems.

NVC Lighting estimates profits in 2013 will grow exponentially compared to 2012. 

Royal Philips, a global leader in lighting, announced that it has entered into agreements to acquire 51 percent of General Lighting Company (“GLC”), a major lighting company in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (“KSA”), from a consortium of shareholders that include Alliance Holding Ltd. (“Alliance”), the Hejailan Group, and The Carlyle Group.

Flip-chips various features are now also being valued in the mobile application market, said FOREPI Chairman Chien Fen-ren during Leadray Energy’s Taipei office opening ceremony on March 17, 2014.

Taiwanese LED manufacturer FOREPI could be seeing record high performance for a single quarter during third quarter this year, said the company Chairman Chein Fen-ren, while attending the Leadray Energy Taipei Office opening ceremony on  March 17, 2014. 

Leadray Energy, a Taiwanese manufacturer based in Miaoli County in central Taiwan, unveiled its new Taipei office at Taipei World Trade Center on March 17, 2014. The new Taipei office reveals the company’s ambition in the global market.

Guangzhou Hongli Opto-Electronics Co. announced that on Mar. 14th Deputy General Manager and Director Hui Lun resigned due to personal reasons during a board of directors meeting.

Madison Square Park Conservancy’s Mad. Sq. Art announces a new sculptural installation for late winter 2014: This Land Is Your Land by Brooklyn-based Chilean artist Iván Navarro. The site-specific installation presents three water towers inside of which neon reflections repeat infinitely. 

SYLVANIA Automotive Lighting will shine during this year’s Hot Import Nights season and serve as the presenting sponsor of HIN events for the third consecutive year. HIN – featuring import, sport, compact and exotic cars – is the largest consumer car show tour featuring highly modified import, sport compact, European and exotic cars.

Access Fixtures has published a new comprehensive guide documenting everything a customer should know when selecting bollard lights. Bollard lights are outdoor light fixtures that are ideal for illuminating walkways, streets, and driveways of commercial and public areas. While bollard light styles vary, optics, lamp type and wattage can be different as well. 

Epicureanist, the one-stop-online-shop for every wine, food and entertaining accessory imaginable, will launch the Epicureanist Quick Chill Ice Bucket tomorrow at the International Home + Housewares Show (ih+hs). Just in time for the warm months ahead, Epicureanist's chiller is the first rotating ice bucket featuring color-changing LED (light-emitting diode) lights and the ability to rapidly cool wine, Champagne, vodka and other beverages in just 15 minutes.

Peterson Manufacturing is pleased to announce an innovative new design in interior lighting systems for cargo vehicles. Listed as the 359 Series the new, American-made light features a slim 1" x 18" bar of high-output Great White® LEDs and offers a host of advantages over traditional recessed dome lights.

Diode LED®, the recognized U.S. based provider of a comprehensive line of LED solutions and accessories, adds high performance LED tape light products with 80+ and 90+ color rendering index (CRI) to meet the needs of architects, designers and lighting contractors.

A quick flash of important news this week: A University of Washington research team releases a three atom thick LED, the thinnest to date. Major international brands Cree and Philips have announced prices for new bulbs, including for the flat shaped SlimStyle bulb. The Zhaga Consortium and UL released new LED standards, while Korea amends LED retrofit lamp standards.

Third tier manufacturers sell products, second class companies build brands, but leading companies set standards. Recently, NVC Lighting became the pioneer in China’s LED industry with the sales of 200,000 LED products with Advanced Union Technology Standard (ANT’S) labelling, according to Guangdong Solid State Lighting Industry Innovation Center (GSC).

The Zhaga Consortium has decided that it will aim to enable LED modules and drivers that are independently interchangeable. This is in addition to Zhaga’s stated aim to enable interchangeability of LED light engines.