Based on its recent analysis of the automotive light-emitting diodes (LED) market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Philips Lumileds with the 2010 Global Frost & Sullivan Award for Technology Innovation of the Year for being a major factor driving the advance of improved lighting technologies for the global auto industry.

LEDs offer enhanced functionality to vehicle owners when compared to halogen, high-intensity discharge, and incandescent lighting systems. One of the primary benefits is its unlimited service life – unlike a filament bulb, the consumer never replaces it, unless the vehicle is involved in a collision. But the most attractive feature of LEDs is the ability to change color and brightness, giving vehicle designers the flexibility to develop mood lighting systems as a value-added feature to the car.

Only three companies in the world have the technological capacity to produce automotive-grade LEDs that meet the exacting needs of vehicle manufacturers and their lighting suppliers. Of the three, Philips Lumileds has done the most to advance the development of LEDs for motorists and the global auto industry. The company has two main LED product lines for automotive lighting. The LUXEON line is designed for high-power headlamps and daytime running lights. Its SnapLED and SuperFlux lines are red, red-orange, and amber LEDs used for taillights and signaling applications.

“The main differences between Philips Lumileds products and its main competitors are its Thin Film Flip Chip (TFFC) technology, which offers improved thermal handling and Lumiramic Phosphor technology which improves light quality,” says Frost & Sullivan Program Leader Stephen Spivey. “This represents a significant competitive advantage against the high-power devices of its two main competitors, particularly for the front of the vehicle, where the light requirements present the biggest challenges to lamp designers.”

TFFC technology allows Philips Lumileds’ products to offer more lumens per Watt at a lower thermal resistance than those of competing LED suppliers. TFFC also supports the company's proprietary Lumiramic phosphor technology, which enhances the color control properties of LEDs. This equates to improved functionality because it makes technologically advanced lighting more applicable to automakers and their suppliers.

“Philips Lumileds has also been a market leader in reducing the cost of LED technology,” notes Spivey. “This is important because LEDs still cost 2.5 to 10 times more than halogen and incandescent lighting, depending on application. Suppliers must be able to justify the premium to OEMs and consumers to drive adoption rates for LED lighting.”

By enhancing and refining its technology, Philips Lumileds has increased the lumens per dollar its customers buy and has positively impacted customer value. It also offers drivers, support materials, engineering services and program management to help its customers integrate its technology offerings. Further, Philips Lumileds maintains factory standards that meet automotive quality specifications at all of its production facilities. These standards exceed those of LEDs used in other industries. As a result, even its non-automotive LEDs offer superior quality and performance.

In short, Philips Lumileds’ existing product line offers automakers and lamp manufacturers the clearest pathway to develop automotive lighting systems that will attract customers to their brands at the lowest possible cost.

“By 2020, revenues for LED lighting will exceed all other lighting technologies within the global auto industry,” concludes Spivey. “Considering Philips Lumileds’ enhanced technologies and relationships with automakers and headlamp manufacturers across the world, the company will be the leader in driving LED adoption rates within the auto industry.”

Thus, for successfully differentiating itself in a difficult global market and expanding the market potential for automotive LED systems, Frost & Sullivan is proud to present the 2010 Global Technology Innovation of the Year Award in the automotive LED market to Philips Lumileds. Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has demonstrated uniqueness in developing a technology, which significantly impacts both the functionality and the customer value of new products and applications. The award lauds the relevance of the innovation to the industry.

Frost & Sullivan’s Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.

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