A timeline for the expansion was not available at the time of writing. Since Cotco is an LED packager and does not fabricate chips, the assumption is that Cree's LED chip production will continue to be located in North Carolina, USA.
Speaking at the 4th China International Forum & Exhibition on Solid State Lighting in Shanghai, Chris James, VP of marketing and business development, characterized the planned expansion as part of Cree’s multi-faceted efforts to both accelerate the adoption of LED lighting in China and to build momentum for the LED lighting revolution worldwide.
"China is a critical growth market for LEDs in general illumination applications and represents an unmatched opportunity," said James. "This is due to the early-stage development [in China] of a national lighting infrastructure, explosive economic growth, the need for energy-efficient technologies and a growing concern over air and ground pollution."
"The acquisition of Cotco Luminant Device Limited was the first step and gave Cree significant local manufacturing and sales capability in China. This expansion of white LED capacity is the next step, and we continue to develop plans to extend our capabilities and drive the LED lighting market."
