TrendForce Reports Prolonged Strong Growth for TV Panel Shipments in Dec. 2014, Reaching 21.83 Million Units

WitsView, a research division of TrendForce, reports that BOE and CSOT led the pack in shipments for large-size LCD panels for Dec. 2014, with each having about 5% increase compared to last month’s performance. Winnie Chen, Assistant Research for WitsView, stated that BOE has been very proactive in developing its IT market since 2014. With the exceptional performance of its 21.5 and 23.6-inch panel, BOE managed to resist the pessimism of the off-peak season and prosper. BOE and CSOT also did very well with their 32 and 55-inch panel shipments. Korean and Taiwanese firms, such as LGD, AUO, and Innolux, conversely faced the unavoidable decline in the same period. LGD in particular had a sharp 20% fall in monthly shipments caused by weak demands for tablets. SDC was the only exception to the negative trend with its monthly shipments staying the same as November. 

WitsView’s panel shipment forecast for January 2015 indicates that brand name TV vendors will stock up on TV panels in response for an unexpected rise in demands during the supposedly off-peak season. The month-on-month shipments is estimated to fall slightly by 1.3%. The oversupply of IT panels will continue to impact negatively on monitor and notebook panel shipments. The former is projected to fall by 6% while the latter by 4%. Tablet panel too is expected to take a hard 16% fall in monthly shipments as there is no noticeable replacement trend of older tablets. Tablets also faced additional challenges as consumer demands are partially shifting towards large-size smartphones and small-size, 2-in-1 notebooks.