Reconstruction in the wake of March 11 earthquake and resulting tsunami has inspired Japanese LED-lighting suppliers to increase orders to Taiwan`s manufacturers including Unity Opto Technology Co., Ltd. and Delta Electronics Inc.
Unity Opto Technology Chairman C.H. Wu said the company`s Japanese customers have recently notified it of preparing LED light bulbs for them, which will make the company`s bulb shipments to increase in late April and May. Unity Opto`s LED lighting is mainly for indoor purposes.
Japan`s increased orders are estimated to push up Unity Opto`s sales for April to a new high, thereby boosting the company`s sales for the second quarter by 30% from the first quarter.
Delta is also an LED bulb maker, supplying contract products to Hitachi. The company`s executives have become active in sourcing the products after the earthquake.
Taiwan`s LED makers pointed out that Japan`s nuke power crisis would further spur LED-lighting market, which had been forecast to take off this year before the earthquake. In 2010, LED bulb production accounted for over 20% of Japan`s lighting industry revenue.
Robust lamp orders have also posed lucrative business to Taiwan`s LED chip industry. Executives of Epistar Corp., currently Taiwan`s No.1 chipmaker, noted that the company`s shipments will increase starting April and estimated Toyoda Gosei (TG), a leading chipmaker in Japan, would ramp up its outsourcing contracts to keep up with tight demands at home.
Other Taiwanese LED-lighting makers that are likely to see surged contracts from Japan include Ligitek Electronics Co., Ltd. and Leditech Electronics Co., Ltd., both of which have business ties with Japanese suppliers.
