Taiwanese contract makers are expected to increase their LCD TV shipments by 6 percent to 9 percent this quarter from last quarter, reversing a decline in the third quarter amid stronger demand for the year-end shopping season, a local research firm said yesterday.
Shipments of Taiwanese LCD TV makers dropped 5.2 percent in the third quarter, according to a report yesterday from WitsView, an LCD research arm of TrendForce Corp (集邦科技).
Taiwanese makers are forecast to ship a total of 45 million flat-panel TVs this year, making up 22.4 percent of the world’s total shipments this year, TrendForce said.
Their market share is projected to expand to between 27 percent and 28 percent next year, as local companies are expected ship 60 million to 62 million TVs, the Taipei research firm projected.
TPV Technology Ltd (冠捷) is set to remain as the biggest maker by shipping 13.7 million TVs this year. If it is able to take control of the Philips brand, shipments might reach 20 million next year, the report said.
Royal Philips Electronics NV last week said it signed an agreement with TPV to bring its loss-making TV operations into a joint venture, with transactions likely to be closed at the end of the first quarter next year.
TPV will have a 70 percent holding in the joint venture, with Philips holding the remaining 30 percent.
The second and third-largest manufacturers, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) and Wistron Corp (緯創), are unlikely to achieve their respective shipment targets of 15 million and 10 million TVs this year because of lower demand from main client Sony Corp.
Instead, WitsView forecast Hon Hai to ship 8.5 million TVs this year and 11 million next year, and Wistron to ship 7.7 million this year and 10 million next year.
The fourth-biggest maker, Compal Electronics Inc (仁寶電腦), which was projected to ship 8 million TVs earlier this year, would only ship 5.8 million this year and 8 million next year, WitsView forecast.
Amtran Technology Co (瑞軒科技), which mainly produces for the US’ Vizio brand, is forecast to ship 3.8 million TVs this year, down from its forecast of 8 million. That is because Vizio sales have been weak in North America, the report added.
Amtran’s shipments are expected to rise to 4.5 million next year, it said.
Going into next year, the rising threat from Chinese competitors, such as Shenzhen MTC Co (兆馳), Shenzhen KTC Technology (康冠) and Teinuro Group Co (神州天樂), coupled with branded clients — including Samsung Electronics Co — preferring to build TVs in-house instead of outsourcing to contract makers, are two key challenges for Taiwanese makers, the report said.
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