Chinese LED chip manufacturer San’an Opto is in talks of acquiring Osram group, German magazine Wirtschaftswoche reported Thursday, without indicating information sources.The acquisition talks are more than just business transacations, but reveal Chinese government's industry policies, analyzed LEDinside.

Osram has gained the services of Thorsten Müller as its new Head of Innovation and Research. The 39-year-old is currently the CEO of the Connected Devices and Solutions division at Bosch and will take up his new position as Head of Corporate Innovation at Osram on December 1, 2016. “Thorsten Müller is an acknowledged expert on the Internet of Things”, said Stefan Kampmann, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of OSRAM Licht AG. “He will provide us with valuable impetus for the ongoing digitization and connectivity in the lighting industry and drive forward our transformation into a high-tech company.”

The skater scene at the new skate park in Karlsruhe, Germany enthuses about ideal preconditions for spectacular recordings in super slow-motion thanks to innovative lighting from Osram. The new Floodlight 20 generation of LED floodlights guarantees not only perfect lighting conditions for the stunts of skaters, inliners and BMX riders but also enables the flicker-free recording of skating tricks in super slow-motion for training purposes or for sharing on Facebook, Instagram and Co.

The Munich-based lighting company Osram has received a major order from BMW Group to convert eight of the car manufacturer's plants in Germany and Austria to modern and energy-saving LED technology. The order is one of the largest for Osram's Lighting Solutions (LS) Business Unit to date. The up to 170,000 luminaires covered by the framework agreement are being installed in several phases through to the end of 2017. "We are delighted to have received this major order. Our innovative LED luminaires will convert the lighting in BMW Group’s plants to cutting-edge technology and bring considerable savings in energy", said Eladia Pulido, CEO of Osram Lighting Solutions.

The new versions of the PointLED and Firefly LEDs are Osram Opto Semiconductors’ latest additions to its portfolio for use in mobile applications such as fitness tracking and health monitoring. Osram can therefore offer its customers a greater selection of products – to supplement its integrated sensors. Thanks to their greater brightness, the PointLEDs in true green offer better performance and provide better signals than comparable solutions on the market. The Firefly E 1608 in hyper red has a special narrow-band wavelength range around 660 nm so it also offers optimized signal recognition. It is suitable for measuring oxygen levels in blood, while the true green version is ideal for use in pulse monitors. Both color versions of the Firefly have the advantage of compact dimensions, giving customers greater flexibility in designing their products.

Osram and BMW were nominated for the 2016 German Future Prize for their project “Laser light in cars – throwing light on a safer future.” The prize is awarded in recognition of outstanding technical, engineering or scientific innovations. The two companies worked together to develop a light source and headlight technology for a laser high beam which is already in use on the BMW i8 and BMW 7 series cars.

Osram has added the LEDambient Connect family to its portfolio of innovative car lights. The three newcomers to the stylish world of interior and exterior automotive lighting, LEDambient Tuning Lights Connect, LEDambient Pulse Connect* and LEDambient Hybrid Connect*, can be easily configured with the free LEDambient Connect app. Countless light colors, modes and other products in the same series can be selected directly on a smartphone using Bluetooth. What’s more, the LEDambient Connect family has a special feature that enables the lights to pulsate in time to your music, creating an unmistakable look for your car.

Osram unveiled its superior lighting products to over 150 influential lighting partners at the two roadshows and Moodify Night in Jakarta, Indonesia on August 3, 25 & 26 respectively. The meticulous lighting solutions, LEDTouch Downlight, Pursos Super High Power LED Flood Light and Media Tube HO RGBW were displayed during the events and demonstrated how the Osram Business Unit Lighting Solutions strives to bring pioneering and futuristic lighting technology to customers.

Pocket 160, Flashlight 15, Slimline 250, Professional 150, Headlamp 300: The extended LEDinspect range comprises five new powerful LED work lights for home workshops and garages. “We have extended the LEDinspect series to include powerful and versatile LED lights for home use. They are ideal for people wishing to carry out repairs and inspections on their own cars,” said Petra Maya Wilhelm, Product and Portfolio Manager LED Accessories at Osram, about the intended market for the new LEDinspect product family.

Osram Opto announced it will be appointing general LED lighting veteran Dr. Jiaping Shao as its new Solid State Lighting sales leader in China.

Osram, a leading global lighting and technology company, has appointed Michael Flieger, 42, as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Americas region. Flieger succeeds Grant Wright, who was appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Osram’s Americas region in July 2015, and for the past year has maintained a dual role as CEO and CFO. Flieger will be responsible for the financial oversight and governance of Osram’s business operations in the Americas region.

Following the LEDriving Xenarc headlight for the Audi A4 B7 which were introduced in 2014, Osram is now launching another full retrofit headlight. The LEDriving Xenarc Golf VI Edition can not only be used to update the lighting technology of the VW which is popular with tuners, but it will also give the car a modern and dynamic look. The three versions of the LEDriving Xenarc Edition, GTI, Black and Chrome, will be first showcased at the 2016 Automechanika from September 13 to 17 in hall 3.0, booth D15, and will initially be available exclusively at the Essen Motor Show in November this year. 

With its new Night Breaker Laser halogen lamps, its redesigned halogen Ultra Life and new Xenarc Ultra Life series Osram is showcasing several new products for the replacement parts market at this year's Automechanika fair. “These products underline our pioneering role as a leading manufacturer in the automotive lighting sector and show that we are continuing to invest in the important replacement parts market and in traditional technologies”, said Terje Noevig, Head of Automotive Aftermarket at Osram, emphasizing the significance of the innovative lamps that will be on display at Automechanika from September 13 to 17 (booth D15, Hall 3.0). 

At the leading international trade fair for the automobile industry in Frankfurt Osram is showcasing new products and innovative developments in the aftermarket sector

Osram has been included once again in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index World. It is the third consecutive time that the company has been listed in the internationally renowned index. Measured against a number of sustainability criteria, Osram ranks among the top companies in the sector “electrical components & equipment.” The detailed analysis employed to review the composition of the index was conducted by the Swiss investment firm RobecoSAM on behalf of the index sponsor, S&P Dow Jones Indices. “Our inclusion on the index once again underscores the high priority we have placed on sustainability at our company,” said Olaf Berlien, Chief Executive Officer of OSRAM Licht AG.  

To encourage innovative internal and external ideas, Osram has created a captive business accelerator called Fluxunit. In taking this step, Osram has set up a flexible company unit outside its established structures that will promote new and disruptive business ideas. At the same time, Fluxunit will serve as the central point of contact for external and internal start-ups. 

Osram intends to transfer some of the funds it earmarked for a LED chip fab to making IR LEDs for iris-scanning applications as demands from bankers, smartphone makers and VR systems rise, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Modern stable lighting in livestock production has special demands: high humidity and frequently high levels of dust and ammonia provide challenging conditions for lighting. Furthermore, stables for cattle, sheep, goats, swine and horses should have optimum quality of light that provides a pleasant color temperature for animals1. The lighting specialist Osram has now developed a solution that meets the complete range of requirements for modern stable lighting in the form of the Monsun 2 LED luminaire with a cover made from the thermoplastic resin polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). The ammonia-resistant damp-proof luminaire with special PMMA cover is not only an innovative solution for the special ambient conditions existing in livestock stables, but is also an economic decision for managers aiming at maximum energy efficiency. 

Rare-earth metals, which are needed for dyes and phosphor converters in light emitting diodes, are a finite resource. Osram Opto Semiconductors, as one of four partners in the “ORCA” project, is therefore researching and developing new types of organic dyes and inorganic phosphor converters. The aim of this project, which began on May, 2016, is to reduce the volume of these materials by developing new solutions, and to encourage the implementation of these solutions in actual production.

Osram is expanding its leading market position in the entertainment sector and has acquired certain assets from ADB TTV SAS to continue its business operations. The acquired business will become integral part of Osram’s subsidiary Clay Paky. ADB is a French company which specializes in lighting for theaters and TV studios based in Saint Quentin. The transaction was completed on 3 August 2016. “With the acquisition of ADB TTV SAS’ business and the highly reputable ADB brand, we will expand our position in the innovation-driven entertainment lighting market”, said Hans-Joachim Schwabe, CEO of Osram's Specialty Lighting business unit.

Osram announced after one year of carefully selecting bidders that it would sell its general LED lighting business LEDVANCE to MLS for EUR 40 million (US $44.7 million), about three days ago. Chinese press have compared the deal to a marriage between couples, where MLS paid a hefty dowry to win over the German lighting giant’s general lighting division.

Osram announced Wednesday that a Chinese investment consortium headed by IDG that comprised of  MLS, and Yiwu State-Owned Assets Operation Center (Yiwu) acquired the German manufacturer’s general lighting business Ledvance for EUR 400 million (US $439.58 million).

OSRAM agreed to security testing on existing LIGHTIFY products by Security researchers from RAPID7. Since being notified about the vulnerabilities identified by Rapid7, OSRAM has taken actions to analyze, validate and implement a risk-based remediation strategy, and the majority of vulnerabilities will be patched in the next version update, currently planned for release in August.

Osram announced Tuesday the sale of its general lighting lamp business, LEDVANCE, to a Chinese investment consortium headed by strategic investor IDG for EUR 400 million (US $439.58 million), Chinese leading LED package manufacturer MLS was named among a key member of the consortium, as well as financial investor Yiwu.

In the third quarter of fiscal 2016, Osram continued to see healthy demand in its three strategic core businesses and additionally benefited from pull-forward effects related to the carve-out of the lamps business. On a comparable basis, i.e. adjusted for portfolio and currency effects, revenue in the three months ending June 30 rose eleven percent from a year earlier and reached EUR 1.44 billion (US $). 

Chinese consortium consisting of the strategic investor IDG, the Chinese lighting company MLS and the financial investor Yiwu acquire Osram’s business unit Lamps for more than €400 million

German lighting giant Osram announced two important developments in its automotive lighting business this month, such as supplying OLED taillights to BMW and its latest acquisition of U.S. automotive LED module manufacturer Novita Technologies. How will the acquisition affect the LED industry, though?

As part of the three-pillar strategy announced last November, Osram is further expanding the leading position of its Specialty Lighting (SP) business. The company has agreed to acquire Novità Technologies, a U.S. manufacturer of automotive LED modules which are used particularly in tail lights, fog lights and daytime running lights. The acquisition will immediately be margin-accretive in the Specialty Lighting segment.

Osram Lighting Solutions collaborated with Atelier Cosmas Gozali and Dots Studio to design the marine installation named as “No Boundaries – Dream of Space” that was exhibited in Casa by Bravacasa 2016 at Pacific Place Hotel - Jakarta during June 1st – 4th, 2016. Thanks to the state-of-the-art LED lighting solutions from Osram, the installation glamorously demonstrated the beauty and harmony of marine life. 

Once again, pioneering lighting technology from Osram is being fitted to a production vehicle. This time it is OLED technology (Organic Light Emitting Diode) in the tail lights of the new BMW M4 GTS. These organic area light sources take up very little space, opening up design options that car manufacturers have so far only dreamed about. “Our OLEDs in the tail lights of the BMW M4 GTS make us the first company to have this new technology on the road in a production vehicle.