UBS: LED chip supply and demand has balanced out, increase in shipment volume and gross profit possible in the future.Expansion of chip production in 2013 was limited and around 20-30 percent produced was invalid. With LED lighting rapidly growing, supply and demand for the domestic LED chip industry has already balanced out. We anticipate that LED chips will increase both in shipments and gross profit in 2014. Leading manufacturers with advantages in scale and cost and with government backing have the potential  to increase competitiveness.

With continual falls in large sized backlight LED TV prices, penetration rates for direct-view type LED TV (aka Chubby TV) is expected to grow in 2014. EMC lead frame drivers have advantages in 1-3W power range, and is expected to lead the mid to high power market. It is also the most commonly used LED chip in direct-view type LED TV. However, with improvements in PCT lead frame driver power output to 1-1.2W, manufacturers are also launching PCT products for direct-view type LED backlight TV. 

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has published a new report, Color Maintenance of LEDs in Laboratory and Field Applications. Although concern for parametric failure of LED lighting products has largely been focused on lumen maintenance, color shift is a cause of early failure for some products, especially in applications where visual appearance is critical.

Strong demands for mid-power LED products have increased shipments of Epoxy Molding Compound (EMC) lead frames. Taiwanese and Chinese LED package manufacturers have jumped into EMC lead frame technology. Taiwanese LED package manufacturers Everlight, Lite-On Technology (Lite-On), Unity Opto, and Advanced Optoelectronic Technology (AOT) are producing EMC package components. Chinese manufacturers including Lighting Optoelectonic Technology (LOT) and Refond possess EMC package component production capacity. Market research shows EMC lead frame prices are falling quickly, which is why most manufacturers are trying to improve price/performance ratio by applying EMC lead frames in 2-3W mid / high power LEDs, according to LEDinside. In the past, most EMC lead frame applications were for 1-2W LED.

A pioneer in LED R&D, chip manufacturer Philips Lumileds is now extending its presence in sectors that have recently entered the LED chip market lime light—the mid-power multi-chip package and mid-power LED chip market. Having achieved success in high-power LEDs, the company hopes entry into these sectors can make their lighting and commercial lighting product lines more comprehensive. LEDinside was honored to interview Lumileds CEO Pierre-Yves Lesaicherre about the company’s technological developments and future market strategy. The company’s experience in LED market and technology can enlighten the LED industry.

According to LEDinside, the LED research division of TrendForce, revenues of listed Taiwanese LED firms totaled NT$8.95 billion (MoM+1.68%, YoY+2.4%) in July 2012. According to LEDinside research, TV annual shipment for 2012 will see a mere 5% YoY growth, whereas monitor shipment will suffer a downturn. Notebook demand for 3Q12 is expected to be weak, but new products releases in Mid-3Q12 will pick up the demand and make the annual shipment stay flat compared to that in 2011. As for smartphones, annual shipment forecast revised from 660 million units to 606...

The Pearl River Delta area has always been the base of Chinese LED companies, in particular LED package makers, and plays an important role in the Chinese LED industry. Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition 2012, held in the pivot city of the Pearl River Delta area, understandably became a vital event for the Chinese LED players. Therefore, the exhibition consisted of most China-based LED package makers. According to LEDinside research, as opposed to their copycat strategy in the past, Chinese companies showcased products which highlighted their o...

According to LEDinside, a research division of TrendForce, the Taiwanese listed LED manufacturers’ revenues in May, 2011 reached NTD 9.96 billion (MoM+5.8%; YoY+8.3%). As for the upstream players of the LED industry, the revenues of Taiwan’s listed LED chip makers in May, 2011 increased 8.3% to NTD 4.63 billion, compared to the same time last year (MoM+5.8%; YoY+8.3%). As for the downstream players of the LED industry, the revenue of Taiwan’s listed LED package makers in May, 2011 dropped 0.8% to NTD 5.33 billion compared to ...

Based on the statistics of LEDinside, the research division of TrendForce, the revenue of Taiwan listed LED manufacturers in April 2011 has reached NTD 9.62 billion (MoM +3.39%, YoY+6.6%). As can be seen from the chip makers’ revenue, the revenue of listed LED chip makers has increased to NTD 4.37 billion with 8.5% rise compared with last April  (MoM+1.8%; YoY+8.5%). On the other hand, the revenue of listed LED package makers has increased to NTD 5.25 billion, up 5% on yearly base (MoM+2.9%，YoY+5%). Generally speaking, LED backlight sales steadily increased and April revenue remained flat growth. 

According to the analysis and statistics of LEDinside, a research division under TrendForce, the total revenues of listed Taiwan LED manufacturers was up to NTD 8.09 billion in January 2011(MoM-2.04%，YoY+15.9%). Regarding upstream chip manufacturers, these figures reached NTD 3.77 billion in January 2011, (MoM-0.7%; YoY+20.7%). The Chip LEDX moved back at 4,472 points, while Package LEDX rose to 5,001 points, showing a moderate uptrend.

Traditional Slack Season Coupled with Weaker Demand for LED Backlit TV During China's National Day Holiday, Taiwanese LED Manufacturers' Revenue of October Dropped by 10% Based on the analysis and statistics of LEDinside, a research division under TrendForce, in October 2010, listed LED manufacturers in Taiwan have total revenue of 8.69 billion NTD, an 10.77% decline compared with September revenue of 9.736 billion NTD and 21.3% rise in YoY.

Traditional Slack Season Plus Chinese National Day Holidays Yet to Stimulate LED Backlit TV Demand, and Taiwanese LED Manufacturers‘ Revenue of October Dropped by 10% 



Based on the analysis and statistics of LEDinside, which is a research division under TrendForce, in September this year, listed LED manufacturers in Taiwan have total revenue of 9.736 billion NTD, an 8.1% decline compared with August revenue of 10.593 billion NTD and 45.8% rise in YoY. The revenue for LED chip manufacturers in September reached 4.554 billion NTD, down 6.9% from August. The revenue for LED package manufacturers in September amounted to 5.182 billion NTD, down 9.1% from August.

Based on the industry researcher LEDinside's analysis and statistics, in August 2010, listed LED manufacturers in Taiwan reported total revenue of NTD 10.593 billion, posting a 2.4% decline, compared with revenue of NTD 10.853 billion in July and a rise of 64% YoY. The revenue for LED chip manufacturers in August reached NTD 4.89 billion, down by 1.6% from July. The revenue for LED package manufacturers in August amounted to NTD 5.70 billion, down by 3% from July. The constant increasing momentum in revenue for nearly half a year ended in August in the LED industry.

Based on the industry researcher LEDinside’s analysis and statistics, in July this year, listed LED manufacturers in Taiwan have total revenue of 10.853 billion NTD, a 2.7% growth compared with June revenue of 10.56 billion NTD and 80% rise YoY. The revenue for LED chip manufacturers in July reached 4.97 billion NTD, up 7.6% from June. The revenue for LED package manufacturers in July amounted to 5.88 billion NTD, down 1.1% from June.

Providing lighting design engineers with an LED source suitable for large or small, conventional or specialty lighting applications, TT electronics OPTEK Technology has developed a miniature half-watt LED package. Designated the OVS5MxBCR4 Series, the 3.5mm surface mount device is an energy-efficient LED source featuring high luminous intensity and a long operating lifespan.

Lynk Labs Inc., the leading supplier of AC LED device, light engine and power supply technology, has been awarded its first U.S. patent for an AC LED drive method and aparatus. The newly awarded patent, U.S. Patent, No. 7,489,086 is entitled “AC light emitting diode and AC LED drive methods and apparatus."

Bridgelux Inc., a leading supplier of energy-saving LED technology for high-volume, solid-state lighting markets, announced the award of a U.S. patent for its surface mountable chip (SMC) LED design.  

Recently, Seoul Semiconductor releases the ultra bright Z-Power P7 LED Series, and claims to deliver the world’s highest brightness of 900 lumens at 10 W to replace the conventional bulbs.

Recently, Arrow Asia Pac Ltd., a business unit of Arrow Electronics, Inc., announced it will cohost a lighting solution seminar in Taipei, Taiwan, on Nov. 19, with Cree, Inc., a market leader in LED solid-state lighting components.

It's disclosed that fewer than 12 months after the introduction of GE’s exclusive Vio™ High-Power White LED, five lighting fixture manufacturers are marketing and selling commercial and residential fixtures that incorporate the violet-based, chip-on-board LED package from Lumination, LLC, GE Consumer & Industrial’s LED business.

It’s reported that Arrow Asia Pac Ltd., a business unit of Arrow Electronics, Inc., announced that it will host a lighting solution seminar in Guangzhou, China, on Oct. 10, with Cree, Inc., a market leader in LED solid-state lighting components.