Demand for LED filament light bulbs in the US market is expected to soar in 2018, as users start replacing halogen lamps that may be phased out by 2020, according to industry sources.
As they look like traditional incandescent bulbs, LED filament lamps have seen rising demand in the Europe and US markets, mostly used as decoration lighting at churches, restaurants, retail stores and hotels, the sources said, adding the EU plans to completely phase out halogen lamps in 2018, triggering demand for LED filament bulbs in 2016-2017.
China-based LED packagers, including MLS, Hongli Zhihui and Forshan Nationstar Optoelectronics, are expanding production capacities for LED filament light bulbs to meet fast growing demand, the sources indicated.
MLS currently has monthly production capacity for 12 million LED filament bulbs and will expand it to 20-30 million units in 2018, with LED filament chips mainly supplied by Taiwan-based Epistar, the sources noted. MLS ships LED filament bulbs to OEM clients and its own-brand business unit Forest Lighting and Germany-based subsidiary Ledvance.
China-based makers together shipped fewer than 500 million LED filament bulbs in 2017, but the shipments are estimated to increase to 700-800 million units in 2018, with MLS accounting for 10%, the sources said.
Global demand for light bulbs amounts to eight billion units currently, and LED filament bulbs will soon take up 20-30% of the volume thanks to price declines and specification improvements, the sources indicated.
LED filament light bulbs
Photo: Digitimes file photo
Article translated by Adam Hwang
