SAMSUNG & ITRAMAS TO JOINTLY DEVELOP LED LIGHTING SOLUTIONS FOR GENERAL ILLUMINATION MARKET

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) forging the alliance was signed by Mr Lee Choo Boo, Chief Executive Officer of ItraMAS, and Mr Yom Moon Ho, Vice President of SEMCO, at the Kuala Lumpur Hilton, here. The collaboration is seen as a forward-looking strategic partnership between two leading LED industry players, coming at the opportune time when experts foresee environmentally-friendly LEDs take up at least 30% of the global lighting market by 2015.  Both ItraMAS, as MSC status company and SEMCO are excited over the abundance of opportunities that the MoU is set to open up for both companies in the co-development and co-promotion of solid state lighting (SSL) applications.  Giving a boost to the partnership will be the expertise both companies possess in their respective fields.

“We anticipate the synergy to be established with this partnership to break new grounds for both ItraMAS and SEMCO in the general illumination market with innovative SSL applications,” Mr Lee said at the signing ceremony. “We see in SEMCO, a premier LED manufacturer, an ideal partner for the penetration of ItraMAS’ products in the general lighting market through joint development in advanced optics, electronics and thermal management technologies at our research centres in Penang and Selangor, Malaysia,” he added.

As a leader in the ITS industry, ItraMAS has spearheaded the adoption of LED technology in the traffic and transportation sectors with its state-of-the-art TransLED™ Variable Message Signs (VMS), Traffic Signals and other road-safety and electronic messaging products.  With the advent of high efficiency Red-Green-Blue (RGB) light sources, ItraMAS, through its solid state lighting division, ItraMAS Lighting Sdn Bhd, launched the ColorRAY™ product line for architectural, landscape and mood lighting, opening up a plethora of possibilities for creative “lightscape” design.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics (SEMCO), one of the core companies of Samsung Group, was established in 1973 to develop and manufacture electronic components for such items as mobile phones, TVs and PCs, as an high-tech IT enterprise. It also penetrated the LED market in year 2001 with Mobile Phone LEDs. With its world–class technology of mobile phone LEDs and display LEDs, SEMCO is expanding business fields to outdoor and indoor lighting based on its accumulated development technologies over the years.

Mr Yom said: “We expect to participate aggressively and upgrade lighting technology in the region through this MOU with ItraMAS.” - “We also hope that this MOU would be a turning moment to expand our business,” he said.

As an LED maker, Samsung has advanced production technologies for GaN Epitaxial layer growth and fabrication processes as well as technologies related to chip packaging. SSL or LED lighting is the way to go in a world which emphasises the need to use limited energy resources efficiently and minimise environmental pollution caused during energy use. LEDs use far less electricity than fluorescent lights and do not have any harmful emissions and, as such, do not contribute to global warming.

In conjunction with the MoU, ItraMAS today also launched its Q-RAY™ line of white LED lighting products for public infrastructure, commercial and residential applications. Amongst those present to witness the signing were senior Malaysian government officials and industry leaders and foreign business associates including those from Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore.

About ItraMAS Corporation
ItraMAS Corporation Sdn Bhd was founded in 1999 as an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) solutions provider that specialises in the management and execution of large scale Traffic Control & Surveillance Systems, Toll Collection Systems, Area Traffic Control Systems, Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS) / Advanced Traffic Information Systems (ATIS), Electronic Enforcement and other related ITS modules and sub-systems.  Backed by a dedicated team of high calibre R&D engineers, technology specialists and project managers with extensive experience region-wide, ItraMAS provides end-to-end ITS solutions covering field equipment and hardware, traffic control and command centre software, communication infrastructure, system integration as well as project management and system design services.  In addition, ItraMAS also provides technologically advanced LED based products in the traffic, media, architectural lighting and automotive sectors. The company has regional presence in the Middle East, India, Hong Kong and Thailand and is represented in North and South America and Europe through CML Innovative Technologies Inc., one of the largest sub miniature lighting companies in the world.

About Samsung Electro-Mechanics
Samsung Electro-Mechanics, established in 1973 as a manufacturer of key electronic components, has become the leading electronic parts maker in Korea. The company’s major products include high-tech material components, such as High Density Interconnections, IC Substrates and Multi Layer Ceramic Chip Capacitors; radio frequency components, such as Digital Tuners, Network Modules, Mobile RF Components and Precision Motors; and optic technology components, such as Image Sensor Modules and Light Emitting Diodes. Samsung Electro-Mechanics is a technology driven company, and through its “The Inside Edge that Shapes the Future” program is focusing on developing state-of-the-art technology and parts. The company recently streamlined operations into three strategic technology areas with eight mainstay product categories. Samsung Electro-Mechanics introduced several industry-leading products in 2006, including a high-capacity Multi Layer Ceramic Capacitor with the world’s highest capacity, the world’s thinnest 2-million-pixel camera module, the highest-performance Front End Module for UMTS, a white mobile LED with high brightness (1.7cd), an LED Back Light Unit for LCD TV and a high-power LED for landscape-lighting. In addition, the company’s social contributions were recognized with the grand prize at the Convention for the Employment Promotion of Disabled People.