Demand for LED lighting in the Taiwan market is expected to take off in the second half of 2013, with mainstream power of LED light bulbs to rise from 8W currently to 10-12W and sales in 2013 to reach 10 million bulbs, according to Taiwan-based LED chip packaging house Everlight Electronics.
Everlight is cooperating with Tsann Kuen, a large IT and consumer electronics retail chain in Taiwan, for marketing its own-brand LED light bulbs. Tsann Kuen sold over one million LED bulbs in 2012, far exceeding originally expected 200,000-300,000 units and huge growth from 50,000-100,000 units sold in 2011, the retail chain indicated. Tsann Kuen aims to sell 2.5-3.0 million LED bulbs in 2013.
While 8W LED bulbs account for 50% of Everlight's LED bulb shipments currently, 10W will become the mainstream power as soon as the end of June due to increasing luminous efficiency and brightness of LED chips and models of above 10W will take up more than 50% of LED bulbs at the end of 2013, the company pointed out. Availability of LED bulbs is expected to be increasing to account for 60% of all lighting bulbs for retail sale in Taiwan at the end of 2013, Everlight indicated. LED bulb prices in Taiwan and China are generally lower than other markets, with average prices for models to replace 60W incandescent bulbs standing at about US$13.9 currently and expected to drop further to US$10 in 2013, Everlight noted.
Everlight expects to maintain the status of the largest LED bulb vendor in Taiwan in 2013 with a market share of 30%, the company indicated. Everlight has obtained 1,000 Taiwan-issued patents related to LED lighting, much more than Taiwan-based fellow makers Lite-On Technology, Lextar Electronics and Unity Opto Technology.
