Taiwan-based LED chipmaker Epistar plans to introduce three major LED lighting products in 2013 including LED lighting filaments for which volume production is expected to begin at the end of the second quarter. Epistar predicts sales of the three new products will likely generate NT$1 billion (US$33 million) of revenues in 2013.
According to Biing-Jye Lee, chairman of Epistar, LED lighting application development will move in two directions, mainstream products that emphasize cost competition, and niche products that emphasize technological improvements. Lee added that Epistar is aiming to focus on special applications such as LED filaments for candle lamps and commercial spotlights. Both products will enter volume production from the end of the second quarter to the third quarter.
Epistar recently showcased LED lighting filaments used in candle lamps at the 2013 Taiwan International Lighting Show in which a 1W single LED filament has a brightness up to 100 lumens. Due to strong demand, the first set of candle lamp shipments at the end of the second quarter is likely to reach close to one million units. Lee disclosed that Europe will ban sales of 40W mercury lamps in 2014 and demand for replacements will rise.
According to studies, the annual global demand for chandelier light bulbs is around 60-100 million units, equivalent to US$300-400 million.
