Santa Clara, CALIF., September 4, 2012 —Despite the gloomy global economy and concerns regarding the decline in sales of consumer LCD products, TFT LCD panel suppliers are still expecting 2012 shipments to grow 8% to 757 million and revenue to increase 13% to $85.3 billion. According to the NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Large-Area TFT Panel Shipment Report , the higher growth will be triggered by strong demand for mobile PC and LCD TV panels.

Table 1: Large-Area TFT Panel Shipments (Millions)













Application

2010

2011

2012

2011
Y/Y

2012
Y/Y

Monitor

199.0

196.9

182.3

-1%

-7%

TV

220.8

210.2

223.8

-5%

6%

Notebook PC

178.1

192.4

217.5

-8%

13%

Mini-Note PC

35.4

30.1

26.8

-15%

-11%

Tablet PC

18.8

59.7

96.1

217%

61%

Public Display

1.7

2.6

2.6

52%

3%

Others

11.1

11.0

7.5

-1%

-32%

Total

665.0

702.8

756.6

 6%

8%

Source: NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Large-Area TFT Panel Shipment Report

Table 2: Large-Area TFT Panel Revenues (US$ Billions)













Application

2010

2011

2012

2011
Y/Y

2012
Y/Y

Monitor

$16.2

$14.5

$14.1

-11%

-3%

TV

$55.4

$45.0

$50.0

-19%

11%

Notebook PC

$9.9

$9.1

$11.0

-8%

21%

Mini-Note PC

$1.2

$1.0

$0.8

-17%

-17%

Tablet PC

$1.4

$3.9

$7.4

175%

90%

Public Display

$0.6

$0.9

$1.1

33%

26%

Others

$1.3

$1.2

$0.9

-7%

-23%

Total

$86.0

$75.5

$85.3

 -12%

13%

Source: NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Large-Area TFT Panel Shipment Report

“The growth in shipments and revenue this year shows that the TFT LCD industry is recovering from price declines and supply chain inventory adjustments, although the recovery looks very modest,” said David Hsieh , Vice President, Greater China Market for NPD DisplaySearch.

Hsieh added, “Panel makers are quickly adapting to the shifts in demand and developing new technologies, features, and sizes. Chinese LCD makers are rapidly increasing production, and Korean, Japanese, and Taiwanese manufacturers are restructuring and deploying new technologies and processes to improve costs and display performance. It is clear that the TFT LCD industry has not yet reached maturity but is simply entering a new chapter.”

Mobile PC/Tablet Shipments Remain Strong



Mobile PC/tablet panels (excluding mini-note PCs) are growing. 2012 notebook PC panel shipments are forecast to grow 13% Y/Y, due to strong promotions for existing models and the recently introduced ultrabook models championed by Intel. Tablet PC panel makers are targeting shipments of 72.8M units of 9.7” panels in 2012, including those for the iPad 2, the New iPad, and private label tablet products. Shipments of 10.1” tablet panels are expected to be over 17M in 2012. Shipments of 10.6” panels, especially for Microsoft’s Surface tablet, are also seeing a strong ramp up in 2H’12. Total tablet PC panel shipments are expected to rise 61% Y/Y.

2012 LCD TV Panel Shipment Growth Minimal



2011 was the first year that shipments of LCD TV panels declined, and panel makers were looking for a turnaround this year. For 2012, they targeted 6% growth, expecting stronger demand in China, triggered by replacements, new models, and the country’s energy subsidy program. LCD TV panel prices rebounded in Q2’12, and prices of some sizes are still rising due to the tight supply in Q3’12. New TV panel sizes such as 28”W, 29”W, 39”W, 50”W, 58”W, 60”W, and 65”W are also playing a key role in shipment growth. LCD TV panel revenue growth is helping to improve overall large-area LCD panel revenues in 2012.