subject: Panasonic Expects To Ship 10 Million Led Bulbs This Year As Business Booms [print this page] Panasonic expects domestic shipments of light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs to reach 10 million by the year's end, it was learned on Sept. 27.
The market for LED bulbs has expanded rapidly, thanks in part to increased attention to energy-saving since the Great East Japan Earthquake. According to Panasonic, it will be the first time that shipments of LED bulbs, which it started selling in October 2009, have breached the 10 million mark.
With around 30 percent of domestic LED bulb sales, Panasonic is the largest seller in Japan. Originally it was aiming to reach the 10 million shipment mark within the 2011 fiscal year, which goes through March 2012, but from the March earthquake through August, sales more than doubled what they had been during the same period last year, and the company now predicts it will reach the 10 million goal at least three months early.
In 1980, Panasonic began selling bulb-shaped fluorescent lights, which have been used as an energy-efficient replacement for traditional light bulbs. However, it took 11 years for these fluorescent bulbs to reach the 10 million mark. By contrast, the LED bulbs, which are even more efficient than fluorescent bulbs and last longer before wearing out, are expected to reach the 10 million mark in just over two years since hitting the market.
"In addition to the increased attention to energy-saving after the earthquake, putting out a lineup of LED bulbs that is as robust as our fluorescent bulb selection has led to an increase in the number of consumers choosing LED bulbs," suggests Panasonic.
Panasonic estimates the 2011 domestic market for LED bulbs will be over 20 million, around double what it was in 2010. While fluorescent bulbs hold nearly 60 percent of the home light market, LED bulbs are still only at around 10 percent, and Panasonic is aiming to attract consumers switching over to LEDs. This fall, the company is introducing eight new LED bulb products, including at least one transparent one that sheds light over a wide area, as it aims to increase its market share to 50 percent in fiscal 2012.
According to market research company GfK Marketing Services Japan Ltd., monthly sales of LED bulbs overtook those of traditional filament bulbs for the first time in June of this year. Furthermore, major electronics companies like Toshiba, Sharp and NEC are also speeding up their introduction of new LED bulb products, as the home light business shifts towards LED bulbs.
In general speaking, 12V LED has become more and more affordable, therefore auto LED bulbs have been used widely.
