Leyard Optoelectronic acquired two Chinese LED manufacturers Linso LED, Pread, and lighting installation company Frank-Time recently.

MLS announced recently that it will be injecting up to RMB 1.5 billion (US $ 223.97 million) in a Chinese LED company, and has commissioned Allbright Law Office and Ruihua Certified Public Accountants to assist in legal and financial issues.

Philips Lighting will be speeding up R&D in China to compete with established competitors in the next five years, according to a report from China Daily.

Several Chinese TV manufacturers and electronic suppliers have joined South Korea’s LG Display and LG Electronics to form an OLED display technology alliance on Sept. 16, 2015, reported Want China Times recently.

Police in Eastern China’s Anhui province have seized 60,000 counterfeited Philips automotive lighting products valuing several million Chinese Yuan from a local company on Monday, reported LED-100.com.

Dwindling profits in the LED package market has made market competitions far more ferocious, and has even affected phosphor, a key LED material. Whether it is the highly mature yellow powder or the maturing green and red phosphor, “increased volume and plunging prices” has become a LED phosphor tag. To better understand phosphor manufacturers challenging survival environment, LEDinside interviewed China’s leading phosphor manufacturer Bree Optronics Deputy General Manager Chao Liang.

LG Display announced Monday it will be channeling future resources to the development of OLED TVs to stay ahead of Chinese competitors that are catching up rapidly in the LCD sector, reported Associated Press.

In a generation where people compare looks and family backgrounds, the business sector is also engaged in similar competitions. The LED industry is a field that is not short of manufacturers showing off their renowned backers. LEDinside lists below classical examples in the field.

Chinese LED enterprises are spending a fortune in acquiring foreign manufacturers in 2015. A couple of examples include Shenzhen Kaifa Technology (Kaifa) recent acquisition of U.S. LED manufacturer Bridgelux, Shanghai Felio Acoustics interest in Osram’s distribution channels, and Go Scale Capital’s acquisition of Philips Lumileds. Why has there been an increase in international mergers? What are manufacturers motives? Below is a summary of Chinese media Alighting’s prove into these issues.

A small Chinese LED manufacturer Zhongshan Sover Lighting Company (Sover) patent infringement plaintiff filed against four leading industry players in China has been compared to as the battle between an ant and the elephant, according to Chinese-language media www.jiajui.com.

LED package manufacturer Everlight and Japan’s largest LED manufacturer Nichia initiated patent wars in Japan, Taiwan, Germany, U.S. and other countries for the past decade, reported Chinese-language magazine Money Weekly. Nichia is one of the top five global LED manufacturers, and spending largely on patent lawsuits against Everlight.  The reason behind these tactics is patents are the only arsenal left for LED Japanese manufacturers that are falling behind Taiwanese and Chinese counterparts production expansion.

China’s decade old streetlight standard GB7000.5-2005 has been replaced with a new standard GB7000.203-2013 that has become effective as of July 1, 2015. Changes in the new and old lighting standards will require manufacturers to make certain adjustments in their outdoor luminaire designs, according to a Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau’s Electromechanical Engineering Department statement.

Authorities in Zhejiang Province, China reported seizing nearly 8,000 counterfeited Opple LED tubes valuing RMB 176,760 (US $28,483.03), reported Nanhu Evening News.  

In part one of the Dazhaoming article last week, a couple of Chinese LED experts offered their perspectives on how low pricing strategies would affect Philips. In this second half more experts offer their valuable insights.

LEDinside recently interviewed Kevin Lucido, Director of Global Marketing Communications at Lumileds, Philips, about the company’s business and technology developments after Go Scale Capital acquires the company.

Major lighting brands in the Chinese lighting market are active in the e-commerce market and expanding online channels, according to a new research report by LEDinside, a division of the Taiwan-based market intelligence firm TrendForce. Competition is fierce in the burgeoning Chinese online market. The top four brands in terms of market share are Opple, NVC, Philips and Aozzo.

The LED package market value reached US $13 billion in 2013, in which LEDs for TV backlight amounted to 20 percent, according to LEDinside’s latest “LED Residential Lighting and Backlight Market Trend” report. LED backlighting have almost completely replaced all CCFL light sources in TV backlight, however, with market penetration rates reaching a pinnacle the market faces threats of market saturation. Below are five major trends in the LED backlighting market:

The Guangdong Solid State Lighting Industry Innovation Center (GSC) recently announced plans of establishing a LED patent alliance in China during a talk at LED business patent management forum in Guangdong Province, according to a recent report from Chinese-media Intellectual Property News.

Price falls were most evident in China last quarter, according to latest LED bulb retail price reports by LEDinside, a research division of TrendForce. Globally, the 40W equiv. LED bulbs Average Selling Price (ASP) grew incrementally by 0.9 percent to US $14.4, while ASP for 60W equiv. LED bulbs was slightly down by 0.6% to US $19.4 in June 2014.

Recently, China’s Ministry of Science and Technology and State Key Laboratory of Solid State Lighting (SKLSSL) held a meeting in Beijing to discuss the inception of LED specs, according to a Xinhua.net report.

Established in 1983, few people aside from Everlight Chairman Robert Yeh could have envisioned the Taiwanese LED package manufacturer’s radical transformation. The company that started off with a capital of NT $ 5 million (US $170,000), and a factory of only 120 square meters, has become one of the top package leaders in Taiwan and an LED industry game changer.

Prestigious American Chip-on-Board (COB) manufacturer Bridgelux mistly displayed COB product series under the spotlight at Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition (GILE) 2014, that ran from June 9-12 in Guangzhou, China.

To achieve carbon emission reduction goals, China will be turning its focus to strengthening energy efficient and low carbon industries financial support and tax incentives, according to a recent report by Xinhua.com.

What can manufacturers do when phosphor powder prices plunge? Should these manufacturers follow others lead and slash prices to keep market shares, or should they stand on the sidelines as spectators? How can manufacturers change their market strategies?

Global 40W equiv. LED bulb Average Selling Price (ASP) dipped slightly by 1.5% in April 2014 to US $14.7, with price decrease most evident in China, according to the latest LED bulb retail findings from LEDinside, a research subsidiary of TrendForce. Global 60W equiv. LED bulb ASP dropped 2.5% to US $20.2.

What sets the Chinese LED luminaire market apart from others? It all really boils down to prices. The product’s technology, lifetimes, and warranty are all nothing more but a floating mirage. Buyers will always choose the cheapest LED luminaire, but should not expect manufacturers to willingly lose money by making acceptable quality products at these prices. Below is a comparison between LED bulb and ceiling spotlights to illustrate the manufacturing costs involved.

Polish sapphire crystal growth furnace manufacturer, Juropol, plans to maintain sale targets of 70 sapphire crystal growth furnaces in 2014. The company already successfully sold 70 furnaces as of 2013, out of these 50 furnaces were preorders. Looking ahead Juropol aims to sell 200 sapphire crystal growth furnaces by 2015. 

GE Lighting has good news to offer its China consumers who are looking for good replacement of incandescent bulbs and economic electricity bills, with the latest introduction of a range of LED lights tailored for consumer use. Named after GE founder Thomas Edison, the Edison® Series comprises LED lights of varied designs and usage and are direct replacements for many traditional light sources.  

Philips Hue has officially entered the Chinese market. Philips announced the arrival of Hue during an event at Shanghai Xintiandi on March 7th. It will be available for purchase at Apple Stores around China and online. 

Chinese research institutes have been interviewing listed companies after the Chinese New Year to get a better picture of the 2014 “investment guide,” according to Chinese media Sina.com report. As the industry rebounds, investors are also following research institute’s lead of entering into specific manufacturing fields to explore opportunities and determine whether the industry will generate a new gold wave.