Japanese Convenience Store's LED Lighting Project Seen to Benefit Taiwan's Makers

Taipei, April 19, 2011 (CENS)--Taiwan's LED (light emitting diode) lamp makers are expected to benefit from 7-Eleven of Japan's plan to substitute LED lamps for traditional lamps at all of its stores in the districts connected to electrical grids run by the Tokyo Electrical Power Co. (TEPCO).

Fearing that power shortage would hit Japan this summer as a result of serious damage to the TEPCO-operated Fukushima Daiichi nuclear-power plant, the convenience store chain will spend around 10 billion yen (US$120 million at US$1:83 yen) to outfit its 5,000 of its stores across Japan with LED lamps. The chain estimates the LED lighting project to help cut around a quarter of its electricity spending in the quarter starting July this year.

Taiwan's LED-lamp makers, namely Ledtech Electronics Co., Ltd., Genesis Photonics Inc., and Unity Opto Technology Co., Ltd., are expected to be contracted to supply the lamps as their products are already available in Japan.

So far, Ledtech has tapped supply chains of LED light bars for freezers and begun shipping the lamps to Family Mart stores.

Globally, around 28 million convenience stores are projected to use LED-lit freezers in four years beginning 2010, up from 16 million convenience stores in 2009.

Unity Opto Chairman C.H. Wu said the company has landed an increased number of LED-lamp orders from Japan since the March 11 earthquake, projecting the orders to help boost the company's sales for this month and next. The company's primary LED lamps in Japan are light bulbs.

Genesis Chairman K.R. Chung pointed out that his company began working with JFE Engineering Corp. of Japan last year to tap Japan's LED-lighting markets and the two companies will mostly target lighting projects offered by enterprises and government for office buildings, factory buildings, roads and transportation stations this year.