January 28, 03

Taiwan to boast 65% of world LCD monitor market in 2003
The global market is expected to absorb 45 million LCD monitors in 2003, with Taiwan to command a 65% share of the market, with a total delivery volume of 29 million units, according to a forecast by the Market Intelligence Center (MIC) of the
Government-backed non-profit Institute for Information Industry (III) in Taipei.

The exact headcount for 2003 shipping hasn't been tallied yet, but the institute estimates 18,3 million pieces in 2002, a whopping growth of 103% from 2001, with a record amount of 5,1 million in the fourth quarter alone due to stable panel prices at that time.

Among sales of above 45 million LCD monitors in the world market in 2003, about 34 million units will be used in notebook PCs.

The sales ration for 17" panels is expected to climb to 30% in 2003. 17" panels may replace 25" types as the mainstay in the market.

In related news,sales of Taiwan made LCD projectors will also grow about 50% to stand at 223,000 units in 2003. Statistics compiled so far by MIC show that Taiwan has delivered about 149,000 pieces in 2002.

Amtran, Sampo Technology will increase LCD monitor sales in 2003

As the world demand for LCD monitors is estimated to hit 45 million units in 2003, both Amtran and Sampo Technology said that their sales would grow 50% and 80% in 2003.

Regarding LCD TV sets,Sampo Technology estimates sales of this latest product to top 50,000 units in 2003, excluding orders from its parent company Sampo Corp.
( that is the company which bought GRUNDIG of Germany ). Sampo Technology is scheduled to open a new factory in Kunshan, the Jiangsu Province of China by the end of February and expects to boost LCD monitor and PDP TV shipments accordingly. The company expects to begin shipping 22" LCD TVS from then on. It also plans to launch a 30" LCD TV in May and begin shipping a 17", three-dimensional LCD monitor, jointly developed with German-based 4D-Vision, in the first quarter.

Orders from parent Sampo Corp. are expected to reach 5,000 a month in 42" and 50" models.

Meanwhile, Sampo Corp. said it will further develop LCD and PDP TVs and expects that the above two types of flat display TVs will eventually replace the traditional CRT TVs in two years. Sampo estimatest that its LCD TV sales will hit about 60,000 in 2003 and that of PDP TVs will stand at between 80,000 and 100,000 at the same time. In November 2002 the company had already announced to have won huge orders from PDP TVs from the European market.

With its new factory in Kunshan, the Jiangsu Provice of China, scheduled to open by the end of February, Sampo Technology,
Flat panel displays dominate Taiwan opto-electronic investment

Taiwan companies poured a staggering US$ 6 billion into the investment of flat panel display development and manufacturing last year, accounting for 86,5% of the total opto-electronic investment, according to the Photonics Industryyy & Technology Development Association (PIDA).

Taiwan companies to expand PDP production capacity and sales in 2003-02-26

Another soothsaying organization, the Taiwan-based Industrial and Economics Knowledge Center (IEK), a division of the well-reputed Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) sys that local companies will closely follow the footsteps of Japanese and South Korean companies and expand shipments of PDPs from US$1.58 million last year to US$5.9 million this year.

Chunghwa Picture Tubes, formerly, as the name implies, a traditional name for CRTs, which begang PDP production last October, expects to increase its monthly PDP production capacity to 7,000 units from March on.

Formosa Plasma Display, a joint venture involving Formosa Plastics Corporation and Fujitsu Hitachi Plasma Display, expects to beging PDP volume production at its new line of 10,000-unit monthly capacity in June, and plans to invest NT$ 15 - 16 billionto build a second line of 60,000-unit monthly capacity.

The IEK estimates that global PDP shipments reached 750,000 units last year, valued at US$ 1,280 billion and predicts an increase o these figures by 95% this year.