Haier and Seiki
At IFA 2013 in Germany in September, the largest consumer electronics fair in Europe, the big question among those engaged in the global electronics industry was, “Where do the OLED TVs displayed by Chinese firms actually come from?”
At that time, people had different theories. Some said that Chinese companies developed the necessary technology, while others argued that they might have obtained the displayed TVs from somewhere, rather than manufacturing those products themselves. People were wondering about the origin of those TVs, but nothing was revealed.
However, it was reported that Chinese firms used products made by a Korean display maker. The TVs were not supplied officially. Instead, Chinese companies bought finished products, took them apart, and reassembled them.
According to sources in the consumer electronics industry, the two Chinese electronics companies Haier and Seiki introduced 55 inch OLED TVs at IFA 2013. An industry source said, “Many suspected those TVs, due to poor quality in assembly. People were interested in the origin of those displays, since there were no local display manufacturers in China that can produce large OLED panels.”
Market research firm DisplaySearch reported that Chinese companies’ OLED TV panels at IFA 2013 are presumed to belong to LG Electronics. Apparently, they purchased finished LG goods, removed the cases, and reassembled them. Currently, LG Display provides their OLED TV panels exclusively to LG Electronics.
Among Chinese firms, BOE is constructing the 8th generation OLED line at factories in Chongqing and Hebei. So far, no local companies in China have successfully mass-produced OLED TVs.