CORNING, USA: Corning Inc. announced that production at its LCD glass manufacturing facility in Shizuoka, Japan was disrupted by the earthquake that occurred in Honshu yesterday.
“We are relieved that initial reports indicate no Corning employees were injured,” James B. Flaws, vice chairman and chief financial officer, said. “However, our glass-making operations at the facility are currently suspended and we believe they will remain so for some time.
"We are assessing options to meet customer demand and accelerating the restart of idled glass melting tanks at other facilities. It is clear that glass volume at our wholly owned business will be lower than originally planned for the third quarter. At the present time it does not appear that this outage will have a material impact on our fourth-quarter shipments based on our current view of the market. We will update investors on any significant changes to this outlook."
"Our adjusted estimate now places sequential volume at our wholly owned business to be down between 5 percent and 10 percent in the third quarter, versus our original expectation of flat to up slightly, following a particularly strong second-quarter performance,” Flaws added.
Corning did not provide specific sales guidance for the third quarter, but the company did note that the lower glass volume would have a negative impact on sales by approximately $65 million.
Corning’s other LCD glass manufacturing operations, including those at Samsung Corning Precision Glass Co. Ltd., and its Sakai City plant were not affected by the earthquake.
“While it is easy to get discouraged by events that are out of our control, we are equally encouraged by our July results, which came in stronger than we anticipated. We saw continued growth in our other businesses, including our equity company Dow Corning Corporation, which further strengthened our belief that the impact of the global recession may be moderating,” Flaws concluded.
Showing posts with label LCDs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LCDs. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
AIS releases sunlight readable LCDs featuring Transflective technology
IRVINE, USA: American Industrial Systems Inc. (AIS), a leading industrial LCD monitors and displays manufacturer has introduced sunlight readable LCD monitors featuring passive transflective technology, which reflects and transmits light (transflective = transmissive + reflective).
Under bright illumination such as direct sunlight exposure, the display acts as a reflective LCD with the contrast being constant with illuminance. By utilizing ambient light as a power source, the active luminance requirement of the backlight is reduced and only required for dark and dim applications; in turn reducing power consumption, heat emissions, and increasing efficiency.
Several display lines feature transflective technology including open frames, rugged marine series, waterproof series (full IP65), vehicle mount series, and tablet LCD’s.
AIS’ comprehensive product line are designed for industrial and extreme environments, application such as outdoor kiosks, industrial machinery, vehicle and marine mounted instrumentation controls are ideal application for sunlight readable LCD displays.
The industrial grade monitors are encased in steel and aluminum mechanical designs for maximum protection and ruggedization. You can choose a standard sunlight readable open frame for custom mounting options or a fully ruggedized full IP65 water/dustproof monitor, featuring a stainless steel chassis for anti-corrosion and outdoor environments.
AIS’ offers a long list of add-on enhancements to customize each LCD display to the specific application. Sunlight Readable Transflective films, privacy films, touch screens, wide voltage range boards, wide temperature range modules, sealed connectors, and shock/vibration resistance are all but a few of AIS’ line of enhancement technologies.
AIS currently offers sunlight readable displays in 6.4” to 57” currently. AIS’ LCD displays are engineered for long-lasting product life cycle and high reliability to serve digital signage, kiosk, and the industrial market demands.
Under bright illumination such as direct sunlight exposure, the display acts as a reflective LCD with the contrast being constant with illuminance. By utilizing ambient light as a power source, the active luminance requirement of the backlight is reduced and only required for dark and dim applications; in turn reducing power consumption, heat emissions, and increasing efficiency.
Several display lines feature transflective technology including open frames, rugged marine series, waterproof series (full IP65), vehicle mount series, and tablet LCD’s.
AIS’ comprehensive product line are designed for industrial and extreme environments, application such as outdoor kiosks, industrial machinery, vehicle and marine mounted instrumentation controls are ideal application for sunlight readable LCD displays.
The industrial grade monitors are encased in steel and aluminum mechanical designs for maximum protection and ruggedization. You can choose a standard sunlight readable open frame for custom mounting options or a fully ruggedized full IP65 water/dustproof monitor, featuring a stainless steel chassis for anti-corrosion and outdoor environments.
AIS’ offers a long list of add-on enhancements to customize each LCD display to the specific application. Sunlight Readable Transflective films, privacy films, touch screens, wide voltage range boards, wide temperature range modules, sealed connectors, and shock/vibration resistance are all but a few of AIS’ line of enhancement technologies.
AIS currently offers sunlight readable displays in 6.4” to 57” currently. AIS’ LCD displays are engineered for long-lasting product life cycle and high reliability to serve digital signage, kiosk, and the industrial market demands.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
LCD market rebounds in Q2, recovery set for H2
EL SEGUNDO, USA: After declining for the previous nine months, global shipments of large-sized LCD panels rose sequentially by 41.4 percent in the second quarter compared to the first due to higher pricing and healthy demand, according to iSuppli Corp.
The large-sized LCD panel market rose to 129.7 million units in the second quarter, up from 91.7 million in the first quarter. This follows sequential declines of 2.3 percent in the third quarter, of 18.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008 and 2 percent in the first quarter of 2008.
iSuppli defines large-sized LCD panels as those having a diagonal dimension of 10-inches or larger.
“On the demand side, strong sales in China spurred by a government stimulus program propped up sales in the first half,” said Sweta Dash, senior director for LCD research at iSuppli. “Meanwhile, notebook panel demand recovered in the second quarter and global LCD-TV sales remained strong.”
Low inventories throughout the supply chain, combined with the severe cut in LCD fab utilization rates and production, pushed the market to tight supply beginning in the first quarter of 2009. As a result, panel prices have been increasing since the beginning of 2009, especially for monitor and TV panels, although these prices were still below manufacturers’ costs.
However, while shipments rose on a sequential basis in the second quarter, the market actually declined in the first half compared to the same period in 2008.
“A full recovery in the large-sized LCD panel market is expected in the second half of 2009, when strong panel demand combined with higher prices will bring the market back to profitability and revenue growth,” Dash said.
Global shipments of large-sized LCD panels in the third quarter of 2009 will rise by a robust 28.9 percent compared to the same period in 2008. Shipments in the fourth quarter will growth by an even more impressive 57.1 percent from the same quarter in 2008.
For the full year of 2009, large-sized LCD panel shipments will rise to 516.7 million units, up 18.6 percent from 435.7 million units in 2008.
However, large-sized LCD panel revenue for all of 2009 is still expected to decline by 8 percent compared to 2008 due to the below-cost pricing throughout the first half of 2009. Revenue in 2009 will amount to $67.2 billion, down from $73.1 billion in 2008.
The figure presents iSuppli’s forecast of quarterly, global shipments for large-sized LCD panels.
Source: iSuppli, July 2009
Healthy inventories
Large-sized panel inventory remained at low to normal levels in the second quarter. Inventory is expected to remain healthy until the third quarter.
Panel inventory is expected to remain low, given that panel suppliers worried about overbooking will be controlling panel shipments to prevent inventory from building up at buyers. But panel buyers are starting to pull in orders in preparation for expected tight supply in the third quarter of 2009.
China’s strong LCD-TV growth
The Chinese government’s rural subsidies program has increased TV demand in China. Now that the program has been extended to nine cities, growth is expected to continue through future quarters.
Television panel demand, especially from domestic brands, is expected to be strong in the third quarter to support strong growth expectations.
Branded TV manufacturers are beginning to offer discounts on new models in the United States, especially sets based on LED backlights and products with higher frame rates such as 120Hz and 240Hz.
More aggressive television set pricing, combined with stabilization in the global economy, will drive further demand in the second half of 2009. Television panel demand, excluding monitor panels used for TVs, is expected to reach 130 million units by the end of 2009, up 28 percent from 2008.
Notebook panel demand recovered in the second quarter after a slowdown in the first due to the introduction of notebook product based on Intel Corp.’s Consumer Ultra Low Voltage (CULV) featuring a thinner form factor, 16:9 format panels and LED backlight.
The large-sized LCD panel market rose to 129.7 million units in the second quarter, up from 91.7 million in the first quarter. This follows sequential declines of 2.3 percent in the third quarter, of 18.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008 and 2 percent in the first quarter of 2008.
iSuppli defines large-sized LCD panels as those having a diagonal dimension of 10-inches or larger.
“On the demand side, strong sales in China spurred by a government stimulus program propped up sales in the first half,” said Sweta Dash, senior director for LCD research at iSuppli. “Meanwhile, notebook panel demand recovered in the second quarter and global LCD-TV sales remained strong.”
Low inventories throughout the supply chain, combined with the severe cut in LCD fab utilization rates and production, pushed the market to tight supply beginning in the first quarter of 2009. As a result, panel prices have been increasing since the beginning of 2009, especially for monitor and TV panels, although these prices were still below manufacturers’ costs.
However, while shipments rose on a sequential basis in the second quarter, the market actually declined in the first half compared to the same period in 2008.
“A full recovery in the large-sized LCD panel market is expected in the second half of 2009, when strong panel demand combined with higher prices will bring the market back to profitability and revenue growth,” Dash said.
Global shipments of large-sized LCD panels in the third quarter of 2009 will rise by a robust 28.9 percent compared to the same period in 2008. Shipments in the fourth quarter will growth by an even more impressive 57.1 percent from the same quarter in 2008.
For the full year of 2009, large-sized LCD panel shipments will rise to 516.7 million units, up 18.6 percent from 435.7 million units in 2008.
However, large-sized LCD panel revenue for all of 2009 is still expected to decline by 8 percent compared to 2008 due to the below-cost pricing throughout the first half of 2009. Revenue in 2009 will amount to $67.2 billion, down from $73.1 billion in 2008.
The figure presents iSuppli’s forecast of quarterly, global shipments for large-sized LCD panels.
Source: iSuppli, July 2009Healthy inventories
Large-sized panel inventory remained at low to normal levels in the second quarter. Inventory is expected to remain healthy until the third quarter.
Panel inventory is expected to remain low, given that panel suppliers worried about overbooking will be controlling panel shipments to prevent inventory from building up at buyers. But panel buyers are starting to pull in orders in preparation for expected tight supply in the third quarter of 2009.
China’s strong LCD-TV growth
The Chinese government’s rural subsidies program has increased TV demand in China. Now that the program has been extended to nine cities, growth is expected to continue through future quarters.
Television panel demand, especially from domestic brands, is expected to be strong in the third quarter to support strong growth expectations.
Branded TV manufacturers are beginning to offer discounts on new models in the United States, especially sets based on LED backlights and products with higher frame rates such as 120Hz and 240Hz.
More aggressive television set pricing, combined with stabilization in the global economy, will drive further demand in the second half of 2009. Television panel demand, excluding monitor panels used for TVs, is expected to reach 130 million units by the end of 2009, up 28 percent from 2008.
Notebook panel demand recovered in the second quarter after a slowdown in the first due to the introduction of notebook product based on Intel Corp.’s Consumer Ultra Low Voltage (CULV) featuring a thinner form factor, 16:9 format panels and LED backlight.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Larger format LCDs for commercial use and digital signage up 67pc Y/Y
AUSTIN, TEXAS: While “flat is the new up” for many technologies as the global recession continues, current results show that the flat-panel digital signage market continues to grow with larger-size commercial LCD products outpacing shipments of commercial plasma products 2-to-1 in Q1’09.
Results from the recent DisplaySearch Quarterly FPD Public Display Shipment and Forecast Report revealed that Q1’09 worldwide shipments of larger size (26”+) flat panel displays used in commercial applications for out-of-home environments grew 2 percent Y/Y, but dropped 10 percent Q/Q showing that this market may not be completely impervious to the effects of the global recession. Further analysis revealed that this market segment is still healthy, however.
Sequential declines seen in the period came more as a result of fewer plasma shipments in the quarter due to some production transitions in that sector rather than falling demand. Conversely, LCD-based commercial displays saw a 3 percent sequential growth for the period and an astounding 67 percent growth when compared to the same period as last year.
Fig. 1: Q1’09 Worldwide LCD and PDP Share of 26”+ Large-Format FPDs for Commercial Public Display Applications for Leading Brands
Source: DisplaySearch Quarterly FPD Public Display Shipment and Forecast Report
While LCDs continued to gain momentum as an acceptable Out-of-Home (OoH) flat panel display technology with phenomenal Y/Y growth of 67 percent, plasma-based technologies were unable to take advantage of their price/size advantage in 50”+ sizes, thus shipments fell 37 percent in the same period,” noted Chris Connery, Vice President of PC and Large Format Commercial Displays.
“Looking ahead, plasma looks to re-gain its strong foothold on the commercial FPD space as more production capacity—allowing for larger size displays to be produced even more efficiently start to come on board potentially even butting-up against other OoH technologies such as direct view LEDs and Rear and Front Projection systems in indoor venues.”
Some major brands stopped promoting plasma as a technology for commercial applications in 2008 and such movements no doubt hurt public perception of the technology. Major players such as Panasonic are still quite focused on the technology and are preparing for an annual refresh of their professional line of products as well as expanded capacity, which indicates that this technology is far from being out of contention as a strong competitor in this space.
DisplaySearch’s results indicate that in spite of the drop off in Q1’09 WW total shipments for FPD technologies for commercial environments, Panasonic was the #2 brand for the quarter for large format commercial displays, behind #1 Samsung in total FPD commercial market share.
Table 1: Q1’09 Worldwide Market Share Brand Leaders and Technology Splits for 26”+ Large-Format FPDs for Commercial Public Display Applications
Source: DisplaySearch Quarterly FPD Public Display Shipment and Forecast Report
* NEC and Sony announced in 2008 that they would focus on LCD technologies with Q1’09 PDP sales representing sell-out of existing inventory.
Looking forward, the display market will help drive market momentum around digital signage. Fabrication plants for larger LCDs and plasma products are will come on-line in 2009 and 2010 with sizes and technologies geared more towards Out-of-Home environments than traditional in-home TV display sizes.
Other technologies such as various forms of front and rear projection are still prepared to combat the continued onslaught of FPD technologies as well (especially tiled LCD and PDP solutions) with new innovations on the horizon.
Results from the recent DisplaySearch Quarterly FPD Public Display Shipment and Forecast Report revealed that Q1’09 worldwide shipments of larger size (26”+) flat panel displays used in commercial applications for out-of-home environments grew 2 percent Y/Y, but dropped 10 percent Q/Q showing that this market may not be completely impervious to the effects of the global recession. Further analysis revealed that this market segment is still healthy, however.
Sequential declines seen in the period came more as a result of fewer plasma shipments in the quarter due to some production transitions in that sector rather than falling demand. Conversely, LCD-based commercial displays saw a 3 percent sequential growth for the period and an astounding 67 percent growth when compared to the same period as last year.
Fig. 1: Q1’09 Worldwide LCD and PDP Share of 26”+ Large-Format FPDs for Commercial Public Display Applications for Leading Brands
Source: DisplaySearch Quarterly FPD Public Display Shipment and Forecast ReportWhile LCDs continued to gain momentum as an acceptable Out-of-Home (OoH) flat panel display technology with phenomenal Y/Y growth of 67 percent, plasma-based technologies were unable to take advantage of their price/size advantage in 50”+ sizes, thus shipments fell 37 percent in the same period,” noted Chris Connery, Vice President of PC and Large Format Commercial Displays.
“Looking ahead, plasma looks to re-gain its strong foothold on the commercial FPD space as more production capacity—allowing for larger size displays to be produced even more efficiently start to come on board potentially even butting-up against other OoH technologies such as direct view LEDs and Rear and Front Projection systems in indoor venues.”
Some major brands stopped promoting plasma as a technology for commercial applications in 2008 and such movements no doubt hurt public perception of the technology. Major players such as Panasonic are still quite focused on the technology and are preparing for an annual refresh of their professional line of products as well as expanded capacity, which indicates that this technology is far from being out of contention as a strong competitor in this space.
DisplaySearch’s results indicate that in spite of the drop off in Q1’09 WW total shipments for FPD technologies for commercial environments, Panasonic was the #2 brand for the quarter for large format commercial displays, behind #1 Samsung in total FPD commercial market share.
Table 1: Q1’09 Worldwide Market Share Brand Leaders and Technology Splits for 26”+ Large-Format FPDs for Commercial Public Display Applications
Source: DisplaySearch Quarterly FPD Public Display Shipment and Forecast Report* NEC and Sony announced in 2008 that they would focus on LCD technologies with Q1’09 PDP sales representing sell-out of existing inventory.
Looking forward, the display market will help drive market momentum around digital signage. Fabrication plants for larger LCDs and plasma products are will come on-line in 2009 and 2010 with sizes and technologies geared more towards Out-of-Home environments than traditional in-home TV display sizes.
Other technologies such as various forms of front and rear projection are still prepared to combat the continued onslaught of FPD technologies as well (especially tiled LCD and PDP solutions) with new innovations on the horizon.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Demand for small/medium displays rises; will prices follow suit?
EL SEGUNDO, USA: Despite rising demand, a reduction in inventories and a marginal increase in prices some for a few small/medium-sized LCD panels in April, global pricing is expected to remain on a downward trend in 2009, according to iSuppli Corp.
“Demand for small/medium LCDs, i.e., those with a diagonal dimension of 9 inches and less, was boosted in March by surge in rush orders from Chinese manufacturers,” said Vinita Jakhanwal, principal analyst for mobile displays at iSuppli. “China’s demand has been stimulated by government rebates and a rural stimulus program created to promote sales of electronic products, including mobile phones, that use small-sized LCD displays.
“The demand outlook for these panels is expected to continue to improve because the small/medium LCD supply chain has corrected its excess inventory situation. With inventories down to low levels, LCD makers are restocking the channel with new products.”
However, this is having very little impact on small/medium LCD prices in general.
Of the 67 types of LCD panels tracked by iSuppli’s Small/Medium Display PriceTrak service, 41 declined in April compared to March. Only three experienced price increases, with the remainder unchanged from March.
These displays are used in seven types of products: cameras, digital photo frames, handheld computers/PDAs, mobile handsets, portable computers, portable DVDs and Portable Navigation Devices (PNDs).
Pricing trends are expected to continue to be weak in May, with only one type of small/medium LCD managing an increase.
The good news is that price decreases are moderating in April and May compared to the more significant declines seen in the first quarter, when suppliers cut prices in order to reduce inventories. However, this stabilization will be short term, with more declines returning as the inventory restocking effort ends.
Prices may take a further hit in the third quarter because suppliers are announcing some expansions in capacity, up from the low levels of the fourth quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009. If this increase in capacity is not matched by a rise in end-user demand, prices will decline at a faster rate.
Mobile handset display pricing remains weak
Most suppliers of small/medium displays for the mobile-handset market are likely to decrease their prices for their Tier-1 customers
The figure presents monthly global average pricing for 3.5-Inch 320 by 480 LCD Panels (Pricing in US Dollars) by as much as 5 percent in the second quarter of 2009, although some spot pricing for rush orders from the local Chinese handset market may increase slightly.
Despite the current tough economic conditions, the smart- phone market continues to witness robust demand, and some panels for these products are likely to enjoy stable pricing or perhaps slight increases. For example, the 3.5-inch 320 by 480 display used in smart phones posted a 1 percent price increase in April.
Furthermore, Low-Temperature Polysilicon (LTPS) LCD panels continue to be in demand and are popular choices for high-end smart-phone displays. Nonetheless, LTPS LCD supply is likely to become constrained as demand picks up, with a few Japanese companies deciding to close their older-generation LTPS LCD fabs.
Many display suppliers, especially in Taiwan, are looking at increasing their market share and penetration into the large handset vendors, specifically for smartphone products. In order to win new projects, they are likely to be more competitive on prices.
For mobile handset displays, suppliers are able to reduce cost of panel production as they are using fully depreciated fabs.
“Demand for small/medium LCDs, i.e., those with a diagonal dimension of 9 inches and less, was boosted in March by surge in rush orders from Chinese manufacturers,” said Vinita Jakhanwal, principal analyst for mobile displays at iSuppli. “China’s demand has been stimulated by government rebates and a rural stimulus program created to promote sales of electronic products, including mobile phones, that use small-sized LCD displays.
“The demand outlook for these panels is expected to continue to improve because the small/medium LCD supply chain has corrected its excess inventory situation. With inventories down to low levels, LCD makers are restocking the channel with new products.”
However, this is having very little impact on small/medium LCD prices in general.
Of the 67 types of LCD panels tracked by iSuppli’s Small/Medium Display PriceTrak service, 41 declined in April compared to March. Only three experienced price increases, with the remainder unchanged from March.
These displays are used in seven types of products: cameras, digital photo frames, handheld computers/PDAs, mobile handsets, portable computers, portable DVDs and Portable Navigation Devices (PNDs).
Pricing trends are expected to continue to be weak in May, with only one type of small/medium LCD managing an increase.
The good news is that price decreases are moderating in April and May compared to the more significant declines seen in the first quarter, when suppliers cut prices in order to reduce inventories. However, this stabilization will be short term, with more declines returning as the inventory restocking effort ends.
Prices may take a further hit in the third quarter because suppliers are announcing some expansions in capacity, up from the low levels of the fourth quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009. If this increase in capacity is not matched by a rise in end-user demand, prices will decline at a faster rate.
Mobile handset display pricing remains weak
Most suppliers of small/medium displays for the mobile-handset market are likely to decrease their prices for their Tier-1 customers
The figure presents monthly global average pricing for 3.5-Inch 320 by 480 LCD Panels (Pricing in US Dollars) by as much as 5 percent in the second quarter of 2009, although some spot pricing for rush orders from the local Chinese handset market may increase slightly.
Despite the current tough economic conditions, the smart- phone market continues to witness robust demand, and some panels for these products are likely to enjoy stable pricing or perhaps slight increases. For example, the 3.5-inch 320 by 480 display used in smart phones posted a 1 percent price increase in April.Furthermore, Low-Temperature Polysilicon (LTPS) LCD panels continue to be in demand and are popular choices for high-end smart-phone displays. Nonetheless, LTPS LCD supply is likely to become constrained as demand picks up, with a few Japanese companies deciding to close their older-generation LTPS LCD fabs.
Many display suppliers, especially in Taiwan, are looking at increasing their market share and penetration into the large handset vendors, specifically for smartphone products. In order to win new projects, they are likely to be more competitive on prices.
For mobile handset displays, suppliers are able to reduce cost of panel production as they are using fully depreciated fabs.
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