Taiwan's FDP Output Value to Total NT$2.14 Trillion in 2008

Taipei, 25 Feb. 2008 (CENS)--With Taiwanese makers of FPDs (flat panel displays) actively expanding capacity, the local industry is expected to boost its production value to NT$2.14 trillion this year, according to the government-funded Industrial Economics & Knowledge Center (IEK).

IEK noted that Taiwan last year successfully unseated Korea as the largest supplier of FDPs in the world for the first time, with production value of NT$1.75 trillion for 2007.

Among Taiwan's major FDP producers, AU Optronics Corp. and Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp. both are expected to place orders for equipment of making LCDs (liquid crystal displays) by the end of this February, infusing growth momentum into the sector.

IEK's analysts stated that Taiwan's FDP production value grew by 37.6% last year to NT$1.76 trillion from a year earlier. Separately, production value of small and medium-sized panels, thanks to price rises last year, sharply soared by 69.3% in the year, and that of OLEDs (organic light-emitting diodes) also surged by 46.8%.

With simmering demand for consumer electronics and new products, like Asus's Eee PC, in the European and U.S. markets at the end of last year, Taiwan's makers of small- and medium-sized TFT (thin film transistor) panels enjoyed booming sales in the year.

However, the sector of TN (twisted nematic) panels and STN (super-twisted nematic) panels on the island suffered a decline of 3.6% in production value for the first time last year. This meant that TFT-LCD displays have gradually become mainstream products over conventional TN and STN models over the recent years. Thus, production value of the sector is expected to keep slipping in 2008.

Production Value Forecast by Taiwan's FPD Sector
Item	2007		2008
	Production Value	Annual Growth	Production Value	Annual Growth
Panel
Large-sized TFT-LCD	NT$1.08703 trillion	42%	NT$1.37 trillion	26%
Small and Medium-sized TFT-LCD	NT$127.12 billion	69.3%	NT$156 billion	22.7%
TN/STN LCD	NT$63.74 billion	-3.6%	NT$57.5 billion	-9.8%
OLED	NT$6.34 billion	46.8%	NT$6 billion	-5.4%
Others	NT$0.67 billion	1.5%	NT$1.8 billion	168.7%
Subtotal	NT$1.2849 trillion	41%	NT$1.5913 trillion	23.8%
Component
Color Filter	NT$132.34 billion	43.3%	NT$158 billion	19.4%
Polarizer	NT$68.57 billion	13.8%	NT$81 billion	18.1%
Glass Substrate	NT$114.21 billion	42.5%	NT$138 billion	20.8%
Backlit Module	NT$150.1 billion	17.5%	NT$177.18 billion	18%
Subtotal	NT$465.2 billion	29.1%	NT$554.18 billion	19.1%
Total	NT$1.75012 trillion	37.6%	NT$2.14548 trillion	22.6%

Source: IEK