Profile: Cree Inc (CREE.O)

Cree, Inc. (Cree) develops and manufactures semiconductor materials and devices primarily based on silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN) and related compounds. It focuses its expertise in SiC and GaN on light emitting diode (LED) products. It develops lighting-class light emitting diode (LED) products, lighting products and semiconductor products for power and radio-frequency (RF) applications. The Company's lighting products consist of both LED and traditional lighting systems. The Company designs, manufactures and sells lighting systems for indoor and outdoor applications, with a primary focus on LED lighting systems for the commercial and industrial markets. In addition, the Company develops, manufactures and sells power and RF devices. The Company operates in three segments: LED Products, Lighting Products and Power and RF Products. In August 2011, the Company acquired Ruud Lighting, Inc.

LED Products

The Company’s LED products include LED chips, LED components, LED lighting and SiC wafer. Its LED chip products include blue and green LED chips based on GaN and related materials. LED chips or die are solid state electronic components used in a number of applications and are available in a variety of brightness levels, wavelengths (color) and sizes. The Company uses its LED chips in the manufacturing of our LED components. Some of its customers use its blue and green LED chips in a variety of applications including video screens, gaming displays such as pachinko, function indicator lights and automotive backlights. Other customers combine its blue LED chips with phosphors to create white LEDs, which are used in various applications for indoor and outdoor illumination and backlighting, full-color display screens, liquid crystal display (LCD) backlighting, white keypads and the camera flash function.

Cree’s LED components include a range of packaged LED products from its XLamp LED components and LED modules for lighting applications to its high-brightness LED components. Its XLamp LED components are lighting class packaged LED products designed to meet a range of market needs for lighting applications, including general illumination (both indoor and outdoor applications), portable, architectural, signal and transportation lighting. It also uses its XLamp LED components in its LED lighting products. The Company’s high brightness LED components consist of surface mount (SMD) and through-hole packaged LED products. Its SMD LED component products are available in a range of colors designed to meet a range of market needs, including video, signage, general illumination, automotive, gaming and specialty lighting. Its through-hole packaged LED component products are available in a range of colors primarily designed for the signage market and provide users with a color and brightness consistency across a viewing area. Lighting Products revenue represented 29% of its revenues for the fiscal year ended June 24, 2012 (fiscal 2012). Its Lighting Products segment consists of both LED and traditional lighting systems. The Company’s portfolio of lighting products is designed for use in such settings as office and retail space, restaurants and hospitality, schools and universities, manufacturing, healthcare, airports, municipal, residential, street lighting and parking structures, among other applications.

The Company competes with Nichia Corporation (Nichia), OSRAM Semiconductor GmbH (OSRAM), Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Philips), and Samsung LED Company (Samsung), OSRAM, Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd., and Epistar Corporation, as Acuity Brands, Inc., Cooper Industries plc, General Electric Company, Hubbell Incorporated,