LED device maker Lite-On Technology, LED lighting maker Laster Tech as well as LED epitaxial wafer and chip makers Epistar and Genesis Photonics have stepped into automotive LED lighting, according to industry sources.
Lite-On Technology, faced with large decreases in LED lighting prices and weak demand for LED backlighting, has focused 2016 LED operations on outdoor and automotive lighting, the sources said. Lite-On Technology has adopted patent-protected LED chips produced by Philips Lumileds Lighting specifically for making automotive lighting products, the sources indicated. Lite-On Technology has obtained orders for automotive lighting from about 10 makers in the supply chains of US- and Europe-based car makers with shipments scheduled over the next two years, and aims to increase its global market share from nearly 10% at present to 20% in 2017, the sources noted.
Laster Tech has tapped the LED automotive lighting market in China for a while, with Great Wall Motors its the largest client, the sources said. In addition, Laster Tech has obtained orders from China-based automotive part makers and makers in the supply chains of China-based automobile makers, the sources indicated. Currently, Laster Tech occupies about 30% of the China market for LED headlights, the sources noted.
Epistar, through a stake investment in Malaysia-based LED packaging service provider Dominant Opto Technologies, has supplied LED chips to package automotive LED devices mainly shipped to China-based Great Wall Motors, the sources indicated.
Genesis Photonics has entered car maintenance markets in the US, China and Taiwan and additionally become a supplier of automotive LED lighting for makers in supply chains of Japan-based automobile makers, the sources said.
However, Germany-based Osram Licht AG will invest EUR1 billion (US$1.086 billion) to set up an LED device factory in Malaysia and this will bring competitive pressure on Taiwan-based LED makers, the sources noted.
