Want to buy shares of an LED manufacturer

[jkust]

So I am being bombarded with the fact that LED technology is slowly taking over the lighting industry. You see and hear about all the new but still expensive products out there. It seems to me this would be a good long term investment and I have missed out on my share of really obvious ones. Anybody know any of the manufacturers?

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Want to buy shares of an LED manufacturer

PM CheapBoatKev. He's a sales rep for a large lighting reseller.

 

[Fireman431]

Re: Want to buy shares of an LED manufacturer

PM CheapBoatKev. He's a sales rep for a large lighting reseller.

Then iBoats members should be getting a deal, right?...right? ...Hello?!?

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: Want to buy shares of an LED manufacturer

Your shares would be written in Chinese

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: Want to buy shares of an LED manufacturer

Avago tech (the old semiconductor part of HP) make LEDs and is somewhat US-based: Avago Technologies (Nasdaq: AVGO)

 

[richg99]

Re: Want to buy shares of an LED manufacturer

Be forwarned...I already own shares of this company...so I am biased. CREE

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: Want to buy shares of an LED manufacturer

And I also have a disclaimer that I'm not advising anyone to buy Avago stock. Just know they make LEDs. Due diligence applies.

 

[avenger79]

Re: Want to buy shares of an LED manufacturer

of course you realize you won't be getting in on a cutting edge new technology. they have been around quitre awhile and are now replace incandescents in many areas. all of the I got in early and might make some money stocks are already owned.

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: Want to buy shares of an LED manufacturer

Be forwarned...I already own shares of this company...so I am biased. CREE

Lol...good stuff....based in NC.
May also want to look at Nichia and Soul Semiconductor.
I will add to this later...pecking on my phone is tedious. Lol

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: Want to buy shares of an LED manufacturer

PM CheapBoatKev. He's a sales rep for a large lighting reseller.

Small correction...lighting manufacturer

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Want to buy shares of an LED manufacturer

Be forwarned...I already own shares of this company...so I am biased. CREE

Nice run up in 2009. Seems like P/E of 40 is kinda high though.

 

[1fishbone]

Re: Want to buy shares of an LED manufacturer

Be forwarned...I already own shares of this company...so I am biased. CREE

I'm biased too...right here in NC
They just opened a larger plant.

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: Want to buy shares of an LED manufacturer

You are on the right track...It is not so much as to which lighting company to invest in, rather if you are looking at the actual MAKERS of the diodes.
Many lighting companies buy their diodes from a Cree or Nichia, then incorporate them into their propritery reflectors and lamp configurations.

I do disagree about the "cutting edge" comment.
Solid state lighting technology has progressed 5x's faster in the last 2 years than it has in the last 10.

Remember your old cell phone? everyone had a blue backlight screen, because blue was the easiest color to emit from a diode, and the cheapest.

White light has always been an issue for LEDs, many used to cheat by using a blue diode and then a phosphor to emit a whiter (albeit blue) light.

Its all very fascinating to me personally, as I have been with this lighting company for 23 years...and counting..

 

[gonefishie]

Re: Want to buy shares of an LED manufacturer

What about wind technology? T. Boone Pickens bought 2 billion dollars worth of wind turbines and is dumping another 8 billions to complete the project. I think the man knows what he's doing.

 

[mscher]

Re: Want to buy shares of an LED manufacturer

What about wind technology? T. Boone Pickens bought 2 billion dollars worth of wind turbines and is dumping another 8 billions to complete the project. I think the man knows what he's doing.

He does.

He's taking advantage of the huge taxpayer subsidies (our money), to build wind farms everywhere, usually on wealthy corporate farmlands.

The long electrical transmission lines for all this, are a different story. The taxpayers and the utilitie Companies, get to cough up this money, both up front and down the road in our utility bills.

Very smart indeed.

 

[mscher]

Re: Want to buy shares of an LED manufacturer

IMO, profitibility on LED technoloy, will flame out rather quickly. Get in, get out, may be the best move.

LED lighting fixtures are very expensive, but LED themselves, cost nearly nothing to make. The markup in a new product, drops when everyone else, gets on board and prrices drop. Anyone remember the $125 digital calculator?

One would have thought that there would be great money in CFLs, when they sold for $8 each. Now they are around a buck, or so each.

 

[jkust]

Re: Want to buy shares of an LED manufacturer

Wow great insite and posts. So maybe then it's not focusing on the LED's themselves but the peripherials. I don't want this to be another situation like missing out on Apple or Marvel. In those cases I was advised to buy but ignored the advise. I'm anti-Apple and that was just stupid.

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: Want to buy shares of an LED manufacturer

IMO, profitibility on LED technoloy, will flame out rather quickly. Get in, get out, may be the best move.

LED lighting fixtures are very expensive, but LED themselves, cost nearly nothing to make. The markup in a new product, drops when everyone else, gets on board and prrices drop. Anyone remember the $125 digital calculator?

One would have thought that there would be great money in CFLs, when they sold for $8 each. Now they are around a buck, or so each.

The 8.00 cfl's were made here in the US, Sadly 5 or so years ago Sylvania closed their Danvers, MA factory (last US CFL factory) and have product sourced overseas (China)
The buck or so each lamps, well, good luck with those. There is a certain amount of quality glass, ceramic, circuits and most important Phosphor that equate to a quality product. You dont get ANY of the above for a buck.
JMHO


Also I have to edit and add...

A POS LED is very inexpensive to make..A decent LED can be made at a fair cost to consumers, HOWEVER the electronics and heat sinks (heat is a killer to LEDs) and most importantly optics (some cheap lamps have ZERO beam patterns, just like a plain old incandescent "A" lamp, it just goes where ever and usually no where) cost $$$ to do well.

Look up the D.O.E. regulations that are slowly being enforced now, but full compliance comes in 2012.
Many PAR lamps will be outlawed unless they are an "IR" technology or L.E.D.
The regs will force the consumer to make a choice, between short lamp life (at triple what they spend for a standard halogen PAR) or long life (ahem) LED products.

Right now, LED landscape lighting alone is a 80-85 million dollar sector.

I would say to look at the manufacturers that have been in business at least 5 x's as long as the warranty they put out on the product.

I laugh when my customers show me a POS lamp that claims 50,000 hours, when the actual company hasn't been in the lighting business for even half that long. Many people are left holding the bag when these products fail.

 

[mscher]

Re: Want to buy shares of an LED manufacturer

A POS LED is very inexpensive to make..A decent LED can be made at a fair cost to consumers, HOWEVER the electronics and heat sinks (heat is a killer to LEDs) and most importantly optics (some cheap lamps have ZERO beam patterns, just like a plain old incandescent "A" lamp, it just goes where ever and usually no where) cost $$$ to do well.

Why wouldn't this LED manufacturing eventually be farmed out to China, sooner, than later?

I have several "cheap" CFL bulbs, that have been in service for over two years - outdoors.
It's likely the the "American" made CFL bulbs, were made entirely from Asian made componants anyway.

 

[BillP]

Re: Want to buy shares of an LED manufacturer

Lighting Science Group.

They are big players in LED technology and innovation. They are also on the space shuttle and space lab.