Welcome to the LEDs Magazine News & Insights newsletter for July 28, 2021. As we face up to the closing months of 2021, I took a moment this week to ponder where the LED and solid-state lighting (SSL) sectors stand in terms of business outlook. I took the time to have some brief discussions with colleagues in neighboring industries as well. I fear we really need some things to break in our favor to realize a strong 2021 finish.
The good news is that most of the people I talk with are optimistic about the short- and near-term opportunity. But our sectors, and others, face some tough challenges starting with the COVID-19 resurgence. Moreover, industries ranging from technology to industrial manufacturing to service can’t hire the people that they need. And then the supply chain issues cap the challenge. A friend who runs a manufacturing company said that his IT department could not get the quality notebook PCs that they need. And raw goods remain a huge issue.
I think the key is overcoming this latest COVID-19 surge. I hate returning to a somewhat isolated and masked world, but I fear there is no option. The good news is that the vaccines seem to be effective against the Delta variant. And work fighting the virus continues on all fronts.
Also on the positive side of the equation, the LED manufacturers remain very active even in mid-summer where we might see a lull in the best of years. Lumileds has twice this summer made announcements of higher performance in mid-power components. The latest announcement is in 3030 LEDs that integrate dual emitters for high-output applications including outdoor SSL. Lumileds also announced a new tool that product developers can utilize in designing luminaires that will meet the European Union Ecodesign directive coming in September.
Also, in our lighting for health newsletter Monday, I mentioned the ams Osram announcement of 2835 mid-power LEDs. I focused that discussion on a cyan-enhanced LED for circadian health. But the announcement was more about a quantum-dot-enabled 2835 LED that will bring better light quality to the form factor that is increasingly popular in commercial and industrial applications.
As I mentioned last week, the content for our July/August issue is available both in our digital magazine platform for subscribers and in HTML form. One article I’d definitely recommend to you is an Industry Insights piece from noted UK lighting designer John Bullock. Now John is a compelling storyteller on any subject, and his recounting of the path he took to today was especially interesting. And it’s really amazing how much the LED influenced that journey.
John is also on the Strategies in Light agenda. Make sure you block out time to catch that session among the many talks that will make for an outstanding virtual conference.
I’ll close with the suggestion that you read the interview that our Carrie Meadows did with Adrian Green representing the Zhaga Consortium. It’s no secret that many things in our space are intertwined in unexpected ways. I’ve written a lot about the new D4i connectivity standard being used as an enabler for connected and smart luminaires. And I also wrote recently about the new US Department of Energy L-Prize program for luminaire development. Green makes the point that the D4i standard will be a key to the L-Prize winner. We will see.
You will find many more stories of interest in the body of today’s newsletter. And always feel free to contact me to discuss content we post or to pitch a contributed article.
- Maury Wright, (858) 208-9442, [email protected]