CMO ranks among world's top 3 suppliers of over-20" LCD TV panels

Taipei, Dec. 1, 2003 (CENS)--Taiwan's Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp. (CMO) recently claimed that it has successfully penetrated the Japanese market with its large-sized liquid crystal display (LCD) TV panels and has ranked among the world's top three suppliers of over-20" panels.

A senior CMO official said his company is expected to become the world's No.1 supplier of 27-inch TV panels in the first quarter next year. CMO already became the world's largest supplier of 30-inch LCD TV panels in October this year. The firm sees no problem selling up to two million LCD TV panels in 2004 due to the stronger-than-expected demand shown in its negotiations with customers on orders in the fourth quarter.

CMO said that it was the world's first mass producer of 26-, 27- and 28-inch LCD TV panels. The company's monthly shipment volume of 27-inch panels (produced at the company's fifth-generation panel plant in Southern Taiwan Science Park--STSP) has outstripped 10,000 panels in the fourth quarter and is expected to surpass 30,000 panels after the first quarter next year.

CMO said that it currently ships about 70,000 to 80,000 over-20" LCD TV panels per month, making it one of the world's top-three such suppliers with delivery volume with rivaling LG.Philips LCD Co., Ltd. And Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd of South Korea. In addition, CMO is now the world's No. 2 supplier of 26-inch panels and has the chance to challenge the No. 1 position soon.

CMO said that it expects to ship about two million LCD TV panels to major markets such as Taiwan (30% to 40% of the total), Japan (30-40%), Europe, South Korea and the U.S. Most of the Taiwan-made LCD TV sets are exported to the U.S. market, CMO said.

CMO said that it has settled 2004 panel orders from local and foreign LCD TV set makers. CMO said that many leading local home appliance makers adopt mainly CMO's 27- and 30-inch mainstream panel models, including Sampo, Teco, Tatung, Kolin, and Top Powersonic. Some information technology companies including Vtek Display and Nexgen etc. have also adopted large-sized panels offered by CMO.

Matsushita Electric (Taiwan) Co., Ltd. Chairman Hung Ming-hung said that in Japan LCD TV sets have become a mainstay of the market for under-37" TV sets. Models with built-in BS digital broadcasting receivers are getting popular due to the upcoming broadcasting of digital TV programs in some big cities.

DisplaySearch's Taiwan branch office said that the prices of LCD TV sets are expected to fall next year after some big IT brands, such as Dell and Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP), join the battlefield.