Lumileds
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Semiconductor |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Headquarters | Schiphol, Haarlemmermeer, The Netherlands |
Key people | Steve Barlow succeeded Matt Roney as CEO - November 2022
|
| Products | LEDs, Lighting, Automotive Lighting |
Number of employees | >7000 (2021) |
| Website | www |
Lumileds is a lighting company that develops, manufactures, and distributes LEDs, light bulbs, and related products for automotive lighting, general lighting, and specialty lighting. Lumileds operates as a private company, having funds affiliated with Apollo Global Management.
History
[edit]Lumileds was formed in November 1999 as a joint venture between Philips Lighting and Agilent Technologies. Upon Philips' acquisition in 2005, Lumileds became a business unit within Philips Lighting and became known as Philips Lumileds Lighting Company.[1]
In March 2015, Lumileds parent company Philips agreed to sell an 80.1 percent stake in the business to the investment fund, Go Scale.[2] In October 2015, Financial Times reported that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) regulatory body may block the $2.9B deal owing to fears of Chinese subversion of the US high-tech sector.[3] The deal was cancelled in January, 2016, due to the CFIUS concerns.[4] CFIUS concerns were based on transfer of gallium nitride semiconductor technology, which is used in LEDs as well as defense applications.[5]
In December 2016, Philips announced that it has signed an agreement to sell an 80.1% interest in Lumileds to certain funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management. Philips retains the remaining 19.9% interest in Lumileds. The transaction was completed in July 2017, under customary closing conditions, including the relevant regulatory approvals.[6]
IP strategist Keaton Parekh helped separate the intellectual property portfolio after the spin off from Philips.[7]
On August 29, 2022, Lumileds filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company reached an agreement to enter restructuring in a bid to deleverage and strengthen its balance sheet in effort to emerge from bankruptcy within less than 60 days. Lumileds' other international subsidiaries were not part of the bankruptcy reorganization.[8] 63 days after the company filed for bankruptcy, Lumileds completed its bankruptcy restructuring and exited bankruptcy on November 1, 2022.[9]
Products and applications
[edit]The company sells products for automotive, illumination and specialty applications,[10] with automotive lighting comprising 60% of its sales in 2015.[11]
In architectural lighting they released the Luxeon C in 2015, a family of high-power LED light sources capable of delivering multiple colors from a single focal length.[12]
Lumileds LEDs are used in the Bridge of Peace, an illuminated pedestrian bridge in Tbilisi, and in the Times Square Ball made by Waterford Crystal.[13]
Patent dispute with Epistar
[edit]Lumileds had a history of patent disputes with competitor Epistar over the use of AlInGaP LED technology. However, in September, 2009, Philips Lumileds signed an agreement to license AlInGaP technology to Epistar.[14]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Philips takes control of LED maker Lumileds". LEDs Magazine. 15 August 2005. Archived from the original on 21 November 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
- ^ Go Scale to fund Philips lighting components buy with $1.93 billion in debt, Reuters, 27 May 2015
- ^ Duncan Robinson, "US may block Philips’ $3bn Lumileds sale", FT.com, October 26, 2015
- ^ Philips Calls Off Sale of Controlling Stake in LED Business, New York Times, 22 January 2016
- ^ Paul Mozur; Jane Perlez (5 February 2016). "Concern Grows in U.S. Over China's Drive to Make Chips". The New York Times. p. B1. Archived from the original on 27 February 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
- ^ "Lumileds Officially an Independent Company as Funds Affiliated with Apollo Global Management and Philips Complete Transaction". Lumileds Press Release. 5 July 2017. Archived from the original on 9 January 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
- ^ Sornson, Pamela (2017-12-15). "Lumileds Is Lighting the Path to the Future with Intellectual Property Law". Profile. Archived from the original on 2020-06-11. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
- ^ "Lightning leader Lumileds files for Chapter 11". Financier Worldwide. August 29, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
- ^ "63 days, Lumileds speeds through Chapter 11". Inside Lightning. November 1, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
- ^ "Lumileds LED Lighting | LUXEON LEDs | LED Lighting Solutions". Lumileds. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
- ^ Chu, Roger; Lin, Judy (18 June 2015). "Lumileds Experiences Significant Growth in Automotive Lighting Sector". LEDinside. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
- ^ Busta, Hallie. "Lumileds' Luxeon C Color LED Light Sources Streamline Color Mixing". www.archlighting.com. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
- ^ "Times Square New Year's Eve - Official Site - About The Ball". 2011-10-11. Archived from the original on 2011-10-11. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
- ^ "Epistar settles LED patent lawsuit with Philips". DigiTimes. 25 September 2009. Retrieved 28 September 2009.