New First Runner
According to market research firm IHS Markit, South Korean companies’ share in the global large-screen LCD panel market is predicted to fall from 36% to 32% in terms of shipments between last year and this year. Meanwhile, Taiwanese companies’ share in the same market is expected to go up from 34% to 35%.
In this market, South Korea rose to the top by beating Japan in the second quarter of 2001. The former has remained at the top all the way since then. Taiwan, in the meantime, is forecast to be overtaken by China in 2018 with Chinese manufacturers boosting their investment with the government backing. BOE, in fact, topped the large-screen display market for the first time in January this year. According to the market research firm, BOE’s market share reached 22.3% in January, when that of LG Display was 21.6%.
Chinese companies’ share is estimated to rise from 26% to 30% this year. If the current pace continues, they can take the top spot in 2018. Their production volume is likely to further increase as BOE is planning to put 10th-generation facilities into operation this year.
Still, their South Korean counterparts are currently taking the lead in the qualitative aspect. On an area basis, South Korean companies accounted for 43% of the market last year and the figure for this year is estimated at 42% while those of Taiwan and China are estimated at 28% and 26%, respectively. “LG Display and Samsung Display are concentrating on large-screen panels rather than smaller LCD panels, which are less profitable,” said an industry source, “This is why they are still at the top on an area basis in spite of a decline in shipments.”
The global large-screen display market, in the meantime, is forecast to show a contraction of 4% this year to stand at 658 million units. On the contrary, shipments on an area basis are expected to increase 3% to 175 million square meters.