Taiwan-based vertically-integrated LED maker Lextar Electronics is aggressively pushing into the car lighting product business and has entered the supply chains of China's automobile and high-speed rail players. The company expects the new business' revenue contribution to reach a double-digit percentage by 2019.
Lextar, which provides LED epitaxial wafers, chips, and packaging services, in 2014 established a new business group to focus on developing vehicle lighting, infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) LEDs, in order to cope with ncreasing competition for general LED application, according to company chairman and CEO David Su
Lextar-developed LED headlights of high-speed trains are being tested in China and Lextar expects to obtain orders as soon as the second half of 2016, Su said. LED lighting modules used in such headlights have light beam converged in an angle of less than three degrees via special optical lenses and strong center light with luminous intensity as high as 200,000cd (candela), Su explained.
Lextar will soon apply IR LEDs to 100- to 200-inch touch panels and security surveillance systems, Su noted. Lextar uses CSP (chip scale packaging) technology in LED headlights, IR and UV LEDs, Su said.
Lextar aims to have over 10% of consolidated revenues coming from the new business group in 2019, Su noted.
In 2016, demand for LED lighting will grow but price competition will heat up, Su said. Lextar expects the revenue proportion for LED lighting to rise from about 40% in 2015 to 40-45% in 2016, Su indicated. Demand for LED backlighting will not grow in 2016 due to slow growth in LCD TVs and adoption of OLED panels for smartphones, Su noted. Lextar expects the revenue proportion for LED backlighting to remain at 50% in 2016.
Lextar chairman and CEO David Su
Photo: Michael Lee, Digitimes, April 2016
Article translated by Adam Hwang
