LCD panel makers foresee higher demand on notebook PC industry

Several local LCD panel makers including AU Optronics Corp. (AUO), BenQ, Corp., Quanta Computer Inc. and Compal Electronics Inc. foresee higher demand on notebook PC industry in the second half of the year. Lee Kuan Yao, concurrently chairman of both BenQ and AUO said that the global notebook PC sales for this year are expected to post the highest annual growth in 10 years.

Local industry sources said that AUO, Quanta Display Inc. (a subsidiary of Quanta Computer) and Chunghwa Picture Tubes, Ltd. (CPT) are now Taiwan's major suppliers of notebook PC-use panels, which Quanta Display's notebook panels taking 50 - 60% from total production, output as the company itself supplying back to its parent company Quanta (considered the largest makers of notebook PC).

CPT reported received big orders notebook PCs from leading global notebook PC brands such as Dell, HP and Toshiba that schedule to ship close to 3.5 million notebook PC panels this year, compared with about last year's 1.4 million units. Meanwhile, the components suppliers such as Radiant Opto-Electronics Corp., Taiwan's leading supplier of notebook PC-use backlight modules with a 50% share of the local market, is also expected to enjoy lucrative sales this year. Radiant reported that their shipment for backlight designed for XVGA (wide-screen format) LCD panel have increased last month. Other backlight makers including Coretronic Corp., Forhouse Corp., and K-Bridge Electronics Co., Ltd. also expected to increase their shipments in the second half as well.