Alternative lighting is not the future of LED

Whether it is the level of technological development or the scale of application, the Japanese LED lighting industry is at the forefront of the world. In 2013, the penetration rate of LED lighting in the Japanese market took the lead in the world to exceed 50%. According to the design of the Japanese government, the penetration rate of LED lighting shipments in the country will reach 100% in 2020, which is much higher than the proportion of about 70% of the world, and the penetration rate of inventory will also reach 50%. In other words, five years later, out of a total of nearly one billion lamps in Japan's lighting market, 500 million will be replaced with LED lighting. Such a huge market has attracted the attention of global LED companies, and Chinese companies are doing their best. In Lighting Japan 2015, the number of Chinese exhibition areas has increased from three last year to four, and the number of companies has also risen to 60.

“There are many viewers. Nobody cares about our booth.” Among the dozens of Chinese companies participating in the show, most of them have achieved a lot, but dissatisfaction has also emerged. Why does this happen?

Unlike the domestic market, Japan's LED lighting market has entered a period of maturity. As a relatively energy-poor country, the nuclear leakage in Fukushima, Japan has exacerbated the seriousness of this problem. Government subsidy and incentive policies, LED companies spared no effort to publicize, and the public faced the power-saving needs of electricity price increase, it really stimulated the explosive growth of alternative home lighting products such as bulb lamps and ceiling lamps. It seems that the growth of this market has slowed down and will reach saturation within two years. Sure enough, the reporter found that this exhibitor, who had little interest from the audience, exhibited these alternative products that tended to be saturated.

On the other hand, Japan's participating companies have set the example for the industry by focusing on the characteristics and advantages of LEDs. On the one hand, they are still digging into the potential of LED lighting technology, and they still work hard on product design. The organizer has opened up a special exhibition area for high-brightness technology. High-power products used in potential markets such as commercial lighting, office lighting and factory lighting are sought after by buyers. In combination with new materials, various new lamps and lanterns with unique shapes not only embody the designer's understanding of LED characteristics, but also make eye-catching.

On the other hand, they exploited the unique advantages of LED lighting and opened up new applications. In the lighting control area, buyers of consulting intelligent lighting solutions are in constant supply. The new products used in the fields of agriculture and medical cosmetology also attracted a large number of visitors.

We may consider the leading Japanese market as a microcosm of the future global market. Judging from the experience of the Japanese market, the penetration rate of LED lighting increased from 20% to 50% in only two years. Afterwards, if it is still sticking to the substitution of traditional light sources, it will be difficult for companies to have further development space. Therefore, domestic companies should change their thinking as soon as possible, stepping out of the alternative designs and putting more thought into the characteristics of LED.