Beleaguered flat-panel suppliers should get a respite next quarter, as global TV vendors are forecast to buy 10 to 15 percent more panels next month to fulfill seasonal demand, market researcher TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) said.
That follows a forecast 4 percent sequential decline in panel purchases by the world’s major TV brands during the current quarter, as restocking demand for the FIFA World Cup ended earlier than expected in the first quarter, TrendForce said in a report.
Without clear demand on the horizon, TV makers turned conservative about panel sourcing this quarter, the Taipei-based researcher said.
Purchase orders dropped as they sought to avoid potential impairment losses from restocking at a time when panel prices were on a downtrend, TrendForce said.
The price decline accelerated this quarter due to a worsening supply glut, as China’s BOE Technology Group Co (京東方科技) and CEC Caihong Optoelectronics Technology Co (彩虹光電) ramped up a G10.5 plant and G8.6 plant respectively, the report said.
Most producers are selling TV panels below their manufacturing costs, as prices have been on a downtrend for more than a year, the researcher said.
Panel makers are coping with the industry slump by reallocating capacity to larger panels (such as 43-inch screens), while reducing 32-inch panel production, it said.
However, TrendForce holds an “optimistic” view about the TV panel industry in the short term.
Sales of TV sets would not be affected by the trade spat between the US and China, as televisions are not included in the US’ list of tariff hikes on Chinese goods.
Increasingly affordable prices for bigger screens should stimulate demand, it said.
In China, the price of a 55-inch TV set has dropped to 1,999 yuan (US$304), while a 65-inch model sells for 2,999 yuan, according to TrendForce.
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