SMD LED companies emphasize units for outdoor lights, displays

More manufacturers will turn out models for open-air installations to widen the range of IP65-rated models. They continue to raise output of 0402 types for popular electronics devices.

China makers of SMD LEDs are directing product initiatives toward outdoor lights and displays based on the accelerating growth of these application markets while continuing with miniaturization. They can guarantee IP65 specifications at present, and aim to release more compliant and higher-rated versions.

Suppliers such as Ledman Optoelectronic Co. Ltd are investing in own technology to achieve the objective. The manufacturer adopts in-house developed materials in its latest IP65-rated releases in sizes of 3528, 2623 and 5050 for LED displays and lighting in stadiums, malls and other structures. Additionally, the models boast 25 percent greater luminance compared with rivals in the same power category. Ledman received the Guangdong Science & Technology Award for this endeavor.

Diode makers anticipate further benefit from the booming application industries there, which are flourishing under the government’s 12th Five-Year Plan.

The LED lighting segment is expected to hit nearly $11.4 billion in production value by end-2015, surging from $4.2 billion in 2011, and will remain in an upturn in the next two or three years.

The LED display sector is advancing, largely from local and central government-initiated projects mandating use in major and subordinate cities.

To match the trend for increasingly smaller components, makers sustain efforts to bolster the production of 0402 units. From about 30 percent in 2014, the variants now account for as much as 35 percent of supply. Fueling this development is the robust LED TV market, which is moving toward UHD. To prepare for climbing requirement for backlighting, Everlight has introduced 18-035 full-color SMD LEDs in 0.5x0.5mm for UHD TVs.

LED backlighting is riding on the demand uptick in smartphones, LCD TVs and tablet and notebook PCs, all of which have a large manufacturing base in mainland China. SMD diode companies therefore look to continue taking advantage of these captive markets. More than 90 percent of the mainland’s display module shipments employ the green technology, and the ratio will steadily rise in coming months. Exports rose by 10 percent in the past year. The key destinations were the US, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.

From this, SMD LED suppliers are confident of about 10 percent higher sales by this year’s end. They are, so far, not directly affected by the ongoing litigation over patents in the industry, but are keeping watch on developments.

About 500 companies make up the line in the mainland, which include those with investment from Hong Kong, Taiwan and the US.

Local enterprises constitute over two-thirds of the pool. Besides SMD diodes, they offer DIP and high-power kinds, and LED lighting products. Foshan Nationstar, Shenzhen Refond, Guangdong Hongli Opto-Electronic and Jiangsu Wenrun are among the major players.

Guangdong province is still the category’s key production hub, gathering more than half of the makers in the cities of Shenzhen, Dongguan and Guangzhou. The others are in the province of Jiangsu.

See a comparison table of SMD LED suppliers on GlobalSources.com