E Ink, Cypak, Cambrios selected as top companies in printed, organic and flexible electronics

BOSTON, USA: Partnerships are key to the success of companies in printed, organic, and flexible electronics. To see which companies are best candidates for alliances, Lux Research applied the Lux Innovation Grid to rate technology developers in displays, organic photovoltaics (OPVs), smart packaging, transparent conductive films (TCFs), and thin-film batteries, in a new report titled, “Finding the Winning and Losing Companies in Printed, Flexible, and Organic Electronics.”

“Successful projects require bringing together companies to support the three key areas of expertise: materials, equipment and devices,” said Jonathan Melnick, Lux Research Analyst and the lead author of the report. “Few, if any, companies have best-in-class capabilities in all of these areas, so picking partners with care is an essential component of a successful strategy.”

Lux researchers positioned printed, organic, and flexible electronics technology developers on the Lux Innovation Grid based on their Technical Value and Business Execution – companies that are strong on both axes reach the “Dominant” quadrant. They also assessed each company’s maturity, and provided an overall Lux Take. Among their conclusions:

• E Ink, Novaled, Kateeva, and Universal Display poised well in display technologies. E Ink, which has a nearly 100% market share of the electrophoretic market, is the only company to receive a “Strong Positive” Lux Take. OLED display companies have found success primarily in mobile displays, but development of larger displays like televisions is underway, so the “Dominant” quadrant includes OLED materials developers such as Universal Display Corporation and Novaled, and equipment maker Kateeva.

• OPV and thin-film batteries face technical and business challenges. No OPV or thin-film battery company reaches the “Dominant” quadrant. But those with “High Potential” (high Technical Value but low Business Execution) in OPV include Solarprint and Oxford Photovoltaics. In thin film batteries, Solicore and ITN Energy Systems are among the leaders in a limited field in which no companies score well business execution.

• Wide spectrum in TCFs and smart packaging firms. Metal nanowires and nanoparticles firms come out ahead among TCFs, and tracking and monitoring firms lead in smart packaging. Cambrios, which targets touchscreens with its nanowire films, led a crowded field, earning a ranking in the “Dominant” quadrant; sensing and monitoring developer Cypak did likewise in smart packaging.