Major international monitor brands increase orders for 17 and 19 inch panels
Jul 25, 2006
Major international LCD monitor brands are placing increasing orders with thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) panel suppliers this month, according to some personal computer (PC) manufacturers. Dell of the U.S. is expected to place 40% more panel orders in July than in June, while orders from Philips and HP for 17- and 19-inch panels have also climbed significantly this month, industry sources said. They added that the rebound in market demand is expected to keep panel prices from falling further. According to statistics compiled by DisplaySearch, the worldwide leader in flat panel display (FPD) market research and consulting, the price for 17-inch panels dropped 15% and that of 19-inch panels declined 10% in the second quarter from the first. This, in turn, made downstream makers become conservative in buying panels, thus leading to high inventories of panel suppliers. Industry sources said that most major LCD monitor brands have placed more orders in July for TFT-LCD panels, to meet strong demand for PCs seen after students return to schools after a long summer vacation. According to estimates made by some PC makers, Dell placed orders for 1.9 million to 2.0 million 17-inch monitor panels in June, and the figure is expected to grow to 2.7 million or 3.0 million this month. Dell's major panel suppliers in Taiwan, including AU Optronics Corp. (AUO), and Chunghwa Picture Tubes, Ltd. (CPT) etc., are expected to score more orders from the big customer. DisplaySearch's tallies showed that the average quotation for a 17-inc monitor panel in July is about US$100, and 19-inch US$140. But some industry sources pointed out that the quotation for 17-inch panels ordered by Dell this month was about only US$95 to US$98. Henry Wang, CEO of WitsView Technology Corp., a LCD market research firm, pointed out that the 17-inch panel price falls have slowed down this month and are likely to rebound slightly in August or September along with the increasing market demand. ((QL)) source & copyright: CENS
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