As the competition between OLED and LCD technologies heats up, news over the past week indicates that there will be consolidation in other display technologies. One of the technologies, MEMS, is being consolidated just as the first commercial product is coming to market. Another display technology, FED, does not have as bright of a future.
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Author Archives: Shawn Lee
About Shawn Lee
Shawn is a Senior Analyst for DisplaySearch. He specializes in panel maker capacity, TFT LCD components and product plans.
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Earthquake in Taiwan Impacts TFT-LCD Supply Chain
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Kaohsiung in the south of Taiwan at 8:14 AM local time on March 3, causing some factories to shut down temporarily. The initial impacts on TFT-LCD fabs are as follows:
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Glass Substrate Supply Tightens Again
By Shawn Lee – Analyst, DisplaySearch
2009 is turning out to be a roller coaster for TFT LCD glass substrate supply-demand. The year began at the bottom of one of the worst down-turns in the history of the industry, with panel fabs and glass tanks shut down, particularly in Taiwan. Starting in Q2’09, panel makers began to bring capacity back on line much faster than glass supply could keep up. Then in the summer, a series of natural disasters in Asia took out some more glass capacity. By the end of September, panel production was out-pacing softening demand, and panel prices started to fall. It was expected that glass substrate supply would be plentiful through the end of the year as capacity utilization in Taiwan was brought down slightly.
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Will Small TFT LCD Panels Continue to be Produced in Large Size LCD Factories?
By Shawn Lee, Analyst, DisplaySearch
When 16:10 panels came into the market in 2006, panel makers began to produce monitor panels in Gen 6 and even Gen 7 TFT LCD factories for efficient production. Now that 16:9 panels are coming, most monitor panels are being produced on Gen 6, Gen 7 and even Gen 8 lines. This also enables second-tier panel makers who do not have multiple generations to produce smaller panels. Let’s take a look at how panel makers are reallocating production strategies:
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