US-based LED firm Cree has started with producing LED components and began to expand into LED lighting production in 2012.
According to Digitimes Research, Cree's LED lighting revenues accounted for 28.7% of the firm's total revenues in 2012 and this figure is expected to grow to 38% in 2013.
Fellow US-based LED lighting firm, Acuity, previously focused on manufacturing traditional lighting products. The firm's LED lighting sales are expected to account for 25% of total second-half 2013 revenues, said Digitimes Research.
The two US-based LED lighting firms focus on different markets. Cree mainly focuses on US and international markets with the US market accounting for 40% of its business, while China accounts for 33%, and Europe 15%. In contrast, the US market accounts for 90% of Acuity's total sales due to the firm's close relationship with local distributors.
Cree is one of the world's largest LED component providers and has been focusing on LED technological improvements. In 2012, the firm was able to mass produce products with brightness efficiency of 200lm/W, ahead of the target set by the US Department of Energy (DOE). In the laboratory, Cree has been able to achieve product brightness efficiency of 254lm/W. The firm currently has 2,900 patents.
To maintain a 40% gross margin, Acuity plans to further develop wireless lighting control systems and energy management systems. The firm expects 2013 capex to reach US$40 million, a historic high.
