Companies Entering and Exiting: The Global Lighting Industry Continues to Undergo "Reshuffling"
Recently, two internationally renowned companies, Kodak from the U.S. and Kyocera from Japan, have simultaneously launched eye-protection lighting products, making a cross-industry entry into the health lighting sector. This move has attracted significant attention within the lighting industry.
According to available data, Kodak is the world's largest producer and supplier of optical imaging products and related services, founded in 1880. Its offerings include OLED, professional imaging, business solutions, commercial printing, entertainment imaging, consumer products, retail and printing services, and cinematic arts. Kodak has maintained a leading position globally in the fields of image capture, sharing, output, and display.
Kyocera, founded by Kazuo Inamori in 1980, primarily produces ceramic knives, ceramic stationery, jewelry, mobile phones, precision ceramic components, semiconductor parts, and solar power systems. Kyocera (China) Trading Co., Ltd. (referred to as "Kyocera China") focuses on products like automotive components, LCD displays, inkjet/thermal printheads, and optical parts, building upon the Kyocera Group's existing offerings.
In fact, Kodak's CMOS image sensors have long been used to automatically detect indoor light variations, enabling adaptive lighting adjustments. The recent launch of eye-care floor lamps can be seen as an extension of the company's century-long expertise in optical technology into the realm of household lighting.
Kyocera has also achieved innovations in lighting technology in recent years, having introduced lighting products using UV LEDs that mimic sunlight and full-spectrum LED lighting for aquariums. This latest release of a full-spectrum LED eye-care lamp by Kyocera China marks another significant breakthrough in the company's innovative lighting technology applications.
A new lighting sector is taking shape,
attracting new entrants as fresh faces continuously emerge
Kodak and Kyocera have both ventured into the health lighting sector, offering a fresh perspective to the industry while highlighting that light health has become a key innovation avenue in the global lighting market. This emerging trend has encouraged more non-lighting enterprises to enter the sector globally.
Besides these two international giants, many domestic "powerhouses" in the home lighting industry have also entered the market, driven by the wave of smart home technology innovations.
In April this year, leading home furnishings company Oppein introduced its own lighting products at its annual distributor summit and launched a tech brand called Hailienia, which features IoT technology platforms that enhance lighting product intelligence. This move garnered significant attention from both the home and lighting industries.
Furthermore, since the late 2010s, major domestic companies like Alibaba, Tencent, Haier, ORVIBO, Aqara, Xiaomi, Huawei, Hanggou, Baoxiniao, Bull Group, and Midea have all ventured into the home lighting sector, promoting cross-industry ecological integration between home lighting and smart home applications.
Struggling to adapt to the new development landscape
some industry "giants" have been forced to exit the market
In recent years, while numerous companies from outside the lighting industry have been crossing over into lighting-related niche sectors, some long-established international players in the field have chosen to quietly exit amid industry transformations.
In May 2020, General Electric (GE) announced the sale of its 129-year-old lighting division to smart home company Savant Systems. This marked GE's official farewell to the lighting industry, once one of the world's top three lighting giants. Analysts have noted that during the wave of LED adoption in lighting, GE's advantages and market position, built during the era of traditional lighting, gradually eroded. Its market share was increasingly eaten away by the rise of Chinese lighting companies, which played a key role in GE's decision to leave the lighting sector.
In recent years, while numerous companies from outside the lighting industry have been crossing over into lighting-related niche sectors, some long-established international players in the field have chosen to quietly exit amid industry transformations.
In May 2020, General Electric (GE) announced the sale of its 129-year-old lighting division to smart home company Savant Systems. This marked GE's official farewell to the lighting industry, once one of the world's top three lighting giants. Analysts have noted that during the wave of LED adoption in lighting, GE's advantages and market position, built during the era of traditional lighting, gradually eroded. Its market share was increasingly eaten away by the rise of Chinese lighting companies, which played a key role in GE's decision to leave the lighting sector.
Conclusion
It is evident that as the transformative development of the global lighting industry intensifies, the natural law of "survival of the fittest and elimination of the unfit" will continue to emerge among lighting companies. In this wave of industry "reshuffling," global lighting enterprises can only thrive and remain relevant by embracing the trend of innovation and development while staying true to their founding principles.
