Chinese M&A boom has faced regulatory hurdles and crackdown at home and abroad. According to the latest report by global law firm Linklaters, as many as one third of Chinese overseas M&A deals by value were cancelled in 2016.

Before celebrating the New Year, Chinese-language newspaper UDN in Taiwan has a tradition of conducting an annual poll, requesting readers to pick out a word that best represents the year. For 2016, the Taiwanese people chose the Chinese character Ku (苦), which can be translated as a bitter taste, hardships or even a painful experience. Asked how 2016 went, most in the LED industry would probably agree it was another hard year that left a particularly bitter aftertaste.

LightPath Technologies (“LightPath,” the “Company,” or “we”), a leading vertically integrated global manufacturer, distributor, and integrator of proprietary optical and infrared components and high-level assemblies, today announced that it has completed the acquisition of ISP Optics Corporation (“ISP”) for a purchase price of US $18 million, subject to post-closing adjustments, of which $12 million was paid in cash with the balance in the form of five-year subordinated notes issued to the sellers. 

Royal Philips concluded its LED component business sale after the takeover was delayed for nearly one year, due to national security concerns raised by The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUs) earlier in January this year.

Redirecting focus onto the Chinese LED lighting market, Elech-Tech International (ETI) announced it will be transferring all its international lighting business assets to its Hong Kong subsidiary and sell the company to Jadestone China High-technology Industry Investment Fund (Jadestone).

Royal Philips announced that it has signed an agreement to sell an 80.1% interest in Lumileds, a leading supplier of LED components and automotive lighting, to certain funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, LLC (NYSE: APO) (together with its consolidated subsidiaries: “Apollo”). Philips will retain the remaining 19.9% interest* in Lumileds. 

AIXTRON, one of the world’s leading providers of deposition equipment to the semiconductor industry, announced today that Grand Chip Investment GmbH (GCI) declared today that the voluntary public takeover offer for the acquisition of all shares, including all shares represented by ADSs, of AIXTRON SE (AIXTRON) by GCI published on July 29, 2016 has lapsed due to the non-fulfillment of an offer condition.

Leviton announced the acquisition of ConTech Lighting, a leading, Chicago-based manufacturer of high-performance and sustainable lighting solutions and fixtures. Through this acquisition, Leviton continues its strategic growth in lighting and expands its product offerings and solutions with ConTech Lighting’s high-quality, innovative designs.

Analog Devices. (ADI) announced the acquisition of a solid-state laser beam steering technology from Vescent Photonics, Inc., a privately held company based in Golden, Colorado. Vescent’s innovative non-mechanical beam steering technology enables more robust integrated LIDAR1 systems that overcome many of the major drawbacks associated with today’s bulky mechanical offerings such as reliability, size, and cost. This acquisition strengthens ADI’s position as a major automotive safety system technology partner for next generation ADAS and autonomous driving applications and builds on ADI’s 20-year history in advancing automotive safety.

Tall Trees LED Company is pleased to announce that the company has completed the acquisition of Dallas Lighting & Photonics and Tall Trees LED. Both companies are pioneers in the light engine design and engineering business, enhancing the company's potential for accelerated growth through diversification.

Osram recently announced the latest developments about the acquisition transaction of its LED general lighting business sales to a Chinese investment  consortium headed by IDG Capital.

U.S. intelligence services warned Germany that a Chinese takeover of German semiconductor manufacturing equipment maker Aixtron could give Beijing access to technology for military purposes, reported German paper Handelsblatt on Wednesday.

Chinese LED manufacturers have been very active in international acquisitions in recent years. One of the most successful representatives in the LED lighting industry this year has been Forest Lighting (MLS) and a consortium of Chinese investors acquired Osram’s general lighting business LEDVANCE. Other Chinese investors also showed interest in absorbing the company recently, with market rumors about San’an Opto’s acquisition of Osram spreading like wildfire recently.

Chinese investors are not the only ones showing interest in purchasing Siemen’s 17% stake in Osram, according to a latest report from German business magazine Manager Magazin.

Effective Oct. 4, 2016, Osram, a leading global lighting and technology company, has successfully completed the acquisition of Novità Technologies, a U.S. manufacturer of automotive LED modules which are used primarily in tail lights, fog lights and daytime running lights. With this move, Osram will further expand its position in the U.S. automotive LED market. “The successful closing of this transaction is a further step in our strategy to strengthen our leading position in automotive lighting and to expand our LED automotive portfolio for project business,” said Hans-Joachim Schwabe, CEO of the Specialty Lighting business unit. 

 AquiSense Technologies, the world leader in UV-C LED disinfection systems, has been wholly acquired by Nikkiso America in a cash deal. With over a half century of product development, Nikkiso has provided original technologies to a range of industries, including medical, aviation, life sciences, and microelectronics. AquiSense and Nikkiso share a common goal of providing life-saving disinfection products employing UV-C LEDs. Nikkiso is a leading manufacturer of UV-C LEDs, utilizing core technology from Nobel Prize recipients. AquiSense is an award-winning manufacturer of water, air, and surface disinfection systems with UV-C LEDs at the core of each design.

With the domestic market approaching saturation, branded Chinese LCD TV vendors see overseas expansion as the only means to grow their market shares and raise their brand recognition. The latest example of this approach is the acquisition of the U.S.-based consumer electronics maker VIZIO by LeEco, a rising Internet brand in the Chinese LCD TV market. Reports of VIZIO being up for sale gained traction after Foxconn’s acquisition of Sharp, and the US $2 billion deal with LeEco was finally announced on July 27.

HC Semitek, released a statement Wednesday night stating it acquired leading global Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensor manufacturer MEMSIC.

Nualight, a specialist LED lighting technology company has reached an agreement to sell certain assets from Lumotech, its driver and motion detector business to California, USA based company, Fulham. With its acquisition, Fulham will add that product portfolio to their existing range of LED drivers, modules, engines and further lighting solutions. Fulham will also strengthen its European presence through Lumotech’s existing sales channels, bringing new sustainable lighting solutions to global OEMs and distributors. The sale is expected to complete on July 01, 2016. The terms of the transaction remain confidential.

Prospects of a booming LED filament bulb market in 2016 and Super Trend Lighting’s unique market position and distribution channels, were some of the main reasons behind Forest Lighting’s latest acquisition, said Forest Lighting General Manager Lawrence Lin in an exclusive interview with LEDinside recently.

Humanscale® announced that it has recently acquired VesselTM, an architectural lighting solution from celebrated designer Todd Bracher. Available to ship in May, this clear cylindrical light is made of the highest quality quartz crystal, providing beautiful, glare-free light in a simple, refined form. Architectural lighting is a new category for Humanscale, although the company has long been the worldwide leader in task lighting for individual workstations. 

Forest Lighting (formerly branded as MLS) announced recently it had acquired 80% shares from Hong Kong lighting vendor Super Trend Lighting Chairman Jiangguo Yen (嚴建國), which is expected to bolster the Chinese player’s  LED filament bulb market share.

The U.S. government’s blockage of Go Scale Capital’s acquisition of former Philips LED component business Lumileds in January 2016, has not deterred the Chinese manufacturer from bidding for Philips Lighting, reported Bloomberg Monday.

Toshiba Lighting and Technology is exiting the consumer market in China, and will be selling all related business operations to local appliance maker Konka Group, according to a recent Nikkei report.

GO Scale Capital and Royal Philips announced that the parties have terminated their March 2015 agreement for GO Scale Capital to acquire 80.1% of Royal Philips' LED lighting components and automotive lighting business, Lumileds. After close to one year of best efforts by GO Scale Capital and Royal Philips to obtain approval from the Committee on Foreign Investment in United States (CFIUS), the parties have been unable to resolve CFIUS' unspecified concerns.         

Royal Philips announced that Philips and GO Scale Capital have terminated the agreement pursuant to which the consortium led by GO Scale Capital would acquire an 80.1% interest in Lumileds.

Shortly after Epistar held its board meeting on Monday, numerous reports from Taiwanese media claimed the company was about to be merged. MLS, Philips and even Lumileds were named by speculators as potential buyers, following the reports Epistar’s shares climbed up to NT $29.5 (US $0.88) per share, reported TechNews. However, Epistar Spokesman Rider Chang has denied all these claims.

Shanghai Feilo Acoustics and The Hongkong Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) recently signed a termination agreement that ended the international bank’s role as the sole financial consultant for the Chinese LED luminaire company’s plan to acquire Osram’s lighting business.

Acuity Brands  announced it has acquired for cash certain assets, including all proprietary technology and other intellectual property, of GeoMetri, LLC, a provider of a software and services platform for mapping, navigation and analytics.

Epistar has come a long way from its foundation in 1996 to become one of the largest players in Taiwan’s LED industry, mergers and acquisitions played a significant role in the process of building up the company. The company Chairman B.J. Lee shared some insights on the company’s business strategies at the 2015 Pan Wen Yuan Prize Award Ceremony on Monday, which took place at the Shangri-La Hotel in Taipei.