Taiwan-based LED chip maker Epistar aims to increase shipments of LED lighting products in 2012, with focus on omni-directional LED light bulbs to replace 60W incandescent bulbs for which retail prices are expected to keep falling to US$12.99, according to company chairman Lee Biing-jye.

Epistar aims to decrease power consumption for such omni-directional LED light bulbs to replace 60W incandescent bulbs to 10W at the end of 2012, Lee indicated. According to industry sources in Taiwan, Sharp has launched 6.2W cool-white omni-directional LED light bulbs to replace 40W incandescent bulbs for sale at JPY1,980 (US$25.8) and 10.6W models to replace 60W incandescent bulbs at JPY3,980 in the Japan market. This implies that there is large room for prices of LED light bulbs to drop in the Japan market and many opportunities for cooperation between Japan-based vendors and Taiwan-based makers.

Taiwan-based Delta Electronics has begun shipments of 1,000-lumen LED light bulbs to Japan-based OEM clients and will launch such bulbs in the Taiwan market in March-April 2012, according to the industry sources. Delta expects Taiwan retail prices for 800-lumen omni-directional and semi-omni-directional LED light bulbs to drop to NT$500-600 (US$16.7-20) and NT$300-400, respectively, in mid-2012 and those for 1,000-lumen omni-directional models to fall to NT$400 in 2013, the sources pointed out.