Worldwide Large-sized TFT-LCD Shipments Down 4.8% MoM in April: Displaybank

Taipei, June 15, 2010 (CENS)--Global shipments of large-sized (over-10-inch) thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) panels in April 2010 declined 4.8% month-on-month (MoM) to 54.4 million units and revenues dropped 2.8% MoM to US$7.05 billion, according to Displaybank.

The Korean display and solar-market research and consulting firm attributed the MoM shipment decline in April to system makers' parts-inventory adjustment and the supply shortages of key components including DBEF (dual brightness enhancement film), driver IC, light guide plate (LGP), polarizer film. Shipments of information technology (IT)-use panel showed a clearer decreasing trend among other applications.

Shipments of LCD monitor panels decreased 8.0% MoM to 18.1 million in April, and those of notebook PC panels also decreased 6.2% to 18.6 million units. TV-panel shipments, however, increased 1.5% MoM to 16.8 million units due to demand increase for premium products and especially 40- and 42-inch panel shipments saw remarkable increasing trend, Displaybank said.

Regarding shipment by region, Korea won the highest 44.5% market share among global counterparts, while Taiwan's reached 43.3%, the highest since January 2010 and is expected to continue growing.

For makers' shipment volumes, LG Display (formerly LG.Philips LCD Co., Ltd., or LPL) of South Korea maintained its No.1 ranking with 23.1% market share in April, followed by Samsung Electronics of the same nation at 21.3%. Chimei Innolux Corp. of Taiwan, a merger between former Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp. (CMO), Innolux Display Corp., and TPO Displays Corp. on April 18, 2010), recorded 18.4% market share that already exceeded major counterpart AU Optronics Corp. (AUO)'s 17.8% share in shipments. In terms of revenue, Samsung Electronics was the No.1 with 24.3%, followed by LG Display at 22.4%.

Ricky Park, senior analyst in Display research group at Displaybank noted that as the demand is being focused on premium-class product such as LED and 3D in May 2010, panel supply shortage would continue but low-cost panels would face oversupply.