Restructuring at the top three LED makers in 2014 may pave the way for improved margins and potentially lower product prices for consumers, according to a new report from research firm IHS. In a white paper titled “Top Lighting and LEDs Trends for 2015,” the firm points to the changes and some resulting trends in the LED market for this year and beyond.
“For the big three lighting suppliers, the road was bumpy: all of them recorded falling revenue in the first three quarters of 2014,” said William Rhodes, research manager of lighting and LEDs at IHS Technology. “Industry watchers are now looking to see if these giants of the lighting industry can turn the tide in 2015.”
The report points to restructuring at Philips, Siemens AG, and GE that could make the companies pure-play lighting firms that are better able to capitalize on growth potential over the next few years. The researcher identified 10 market trends to watch as a result; here are the top five:
China, the LED dragon, will continue to grow. China’s LED industry has grown rapidly over the last five years, and IHS predicts that trend to continue.
The sky is the limit for cloud-based smart lighting. Although the market for cloud-based “smart lighting” is unlikely to gain share in 2015, the researchers expect companies to increase their marketing of such solutions, paving the way for longer term growth.
Changing fortunes for lighting companies expected in 2015. With restructuring at leading lighting makers comes the opportunity for market growth. “Changes in the corporate structure could lead to improved margins for the companies, and possibly lower-priced products for consumers,” Rhodes said.
Li-Fi, a brighter way to communicate. Visual light communication, or LI-Fi, is an emerging technology that competes with WI-Fi, using visible LED light for high-speed data transmission. IHS said it expects to see pilot projects and greater media interest in 2015.
QD-LEDs are a technology to watch. Advancing technology in the LED space continues to face challenges, and IHS points to organic LEDs (OLEDs) and quantum-dot LEDs (QD-LEDs) as cases in point. Research is ongoing, but IHS predicts that QD-LEDs may “kill off” the OLED display market, in particular, in the years ahead.
The other five trends include growing interest in OLED luminaires, improvements in LED filament bulbs, an enhanced and improving packaged LED industry, advances in LED street lighting, and growth in the optoelectronic components market driven by automotive industry demand.
