In this Issue:
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A perennial conversation in the photonics industry is whether it is consolidating or not. With every acquisition and merger, it seems to be consolidating. Yet, it is OIDA's observation that there are new suppliers arising every year. More precisely, there is consolidation in mature markets, but there are more suppliers than ever before over photonics generally. A chart in the April issue of the OIDA Market Update pointed out three main forces driving the industry to consolidate: companies seeking economies through vertical or horizontal integration, retirements in mom-and-pop businesses, and rising barriers to new entrants due to high capital costs. The chart also listed forces that sustain or increase the number of companies: the inherently fragmented nature of the photonics sector, the use of start-up companies as innovators, and lower cost of capital in certain regions. (See also this article Tom Hausken wrote in 2006 on the topic.) Partly to make that point, the July issue of the OIDA Market Update featured several small or new companies with emerging technology, and there are dozens more that appear every year in photonics. What is often overlooked is that new suppliers arise in product areas outside of the territory in which most companies operate. For example, the manufacture of optics for displays and consumer image sensors is largely in Asia, which will be largely unnoticed by suppliers selling into specialty industrial markets in North America. Suppliers are cautioned to take note of these hidden competitors, which are hidden only because they don't yet compete in other sectors. A company might cleverly find an opportunity in a new application with an entirely new approach, and capture product share from comfortable suppliers. Even as suppliers in a product segment seem to consolidate, the segment may still be porous, and not as consolidated as might appear. Moreover, some of these new approaches may seem inelegant - not much competition at all - but may provide a more compelling solution than more expensive, traditional approaches. Top |
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There has been a lot of chatter in the U.S. lately about the possibility of a federally co-funded institute in photonics. OIDA would like to remind members not to forget other opportunities for public co-funding of photonics, including small-business grants. Small-business grants, such as SBIRs (Small Business Innovation Research grants), are angel or even pre-angel funding of ideas ripe for commercialization. OIDA sent an alert to members on August 21 for an open SBIR solicitation in optical networking components, offered through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Letters of intent were due September 2, with the applications due October 14. The DOE is investing in the technology to advance its interest in supercomputing. Its role as an end-user is not big enough to support companies dedicated outright to it, but it is big enough to make its own investments to nurture innovation. SBIRs are sometimes associated with companies that mine the program without carrying the process to successful commercialization, but most companies lack an understanding how to continue the process further: establishing a program of record through U.S. funding agencies on to the commercial sector. This process is intended to move innovations through the gap - the Valley of Death - illustrated in the figure below from the White House, including the federally-defined Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs).  OIDA sponsored a webinar featuring DOE's SBIR/STTR program in June, and OIDA will feature specific SBIR programs and how to continue the federal funding process to commercialization in upcoming events. For more information, contact Laura Kolton at OSA. Top OIDA is hosting two events on November 4 and 5: the 21st OIDA Annual Forum and the OIDA Workshop on State of the Art Integrated Photonics. The events will be in Washington DC at OSA headquarters. The Annual Forum features speakers on a range of photonics topics, aimed at an executive-level audience. It is an opportunity for the community to come together away from the distractions of other meetings to assess the industry. It will feature a high level view on the markets, perspectives from the financial sector, speakers from U.S. government funding agencies, and more. The workshop will be the latest in a series on integrated photonics, held every year for the last several years. This year it will review the state of commercialization of integrated photonics. The workshop is not aimed at laboratory-based experimental results, but rather to assess where commercial products are today and what technology is best suited for which applications. Registration is free to OIDA members until October 4. For more information, please contact Jessica Pagonis at OIDA. Top
OSA Media Monitoring Report New for OSA Corporate Members - sign up to receive a weekly media monitoring report from OSA. Reports are distributed weekly by the OSA public relations team and highlight business and research news from the optics and photonics industry. To sign up to receive the media monitoring report or for more information about complimentary OSA Corporate Member PR benefits email Lyndsay Meyer, lmeyer@osa.org. New This Year at FiO! Trying to get press coverage for your company, but aren't sure which outlets to target? Interested in social media, but not sure how to get started? Curious about what PR benefits come with OSA membership? New this year, OSA Corporate Members that are exhibiting at OSA's Annual Meeting, Frontiers in Optics, can now book one-on-one, 30 minute appointments with OSA's public relations team to discuss anything from press release writing to media relations and social media. Spots in the program are limited, so contact Lyndsay Meyer at lmeyer@osa.org by October 15 to set up yours today. Top Applied Optics has created a new publishing opportunity called Engineering and Laboratory Notes (E&L Notes). E&L Notes are brief articles that highlight hands-on skills and laboratory techniques for the design, analysis, fabrication, integration, alignment, and measurement techniques used when creating optical components and systems. E&L Notes is a unique way to publish observations from your engineering notebook in OSA's journal for applications-centered research, Applied Optics. New to Applied Optics? Celebrating more than 50 years of publication, Applied Optics is a highly regarded journal that features content on applied research in optics, photonics, imaging, and sensing. Content from the Journal is downloaded more than 1 million times a year and is accessible to readers in 1,500 plus institutions around the globe. To submit your notes, visit the E&L Notes webpage. Top Department of Defense
Submit your work to Applications & Technology, featuring new optical engineering excellence criteria for 2015. CLEO: Applications & Technology presents the latest results in applied optics and photonics development and discusses how these technologies can be used in demanding applications. New components, optoelectronics, and laser systems are demonstrated in real-world environments where innovative commercial technologies emerge. Submit your work to 4 key categories including Industrial Applications and Photonic Instrumentation & Techniques for Metrology & Industrial Process. Submission deadline: 16 December 2014, 17:00 GMT Top Check out the complete list of benefits available to you as an OIDA member. These now include OSA Corporate Member benefits such as:
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