Osram is the LED firm under Siemens. The revenues for the fiscal year 2011 (from 2010 October to 2011 September) were EUR5 billion (US$6.46 billion). Osram currently has around 40,000 employees with market value estimated around EUR5-7 billion. Siemens owns 100% of Osram's shares. There was a plan for Osram to issue IPO in fall 2011, but due to the gloomy economy and weak stock markets in Europe, the plan has been delayed.

Although Europe's economy has been hit by the debt crisis, Osram continues to perform well thanks to support from policies such as abandoning the use of incandescent lights. The firm plans to double its apacity in 2012 by constructing new facilities and adding space to the existing plants. In addition, Osram plans to replace 4-inch substrates with 6-inch substrates.

Osram continues to improve the LED technology. So far, the brightness efficiency of its LED package above 1W still lacks behind Cree, but is higher than Asia-based firms such as Nichia. Osram also has been developing technologies for specialized lightings such as red, yellow and orange LEDs. The brightness and heat dissipation have been improved to increase the products' energy saving abilities.

With support from the government in Germany, Osram has been developing OLED lightings. Currently the OLED lightings in the labs can achieve brightness higher than flat panel LED lightings. Furthermore, flexible and transparent OLED lightings are also the focus for technological improvements.

Source:digitimes