Touchpanel supplier TPK Holding Co Ltd (宸鴻) yesterday said that its clients are to showcase bendable phones or large-size electronic whiteboards using its silver nanowire (SNW) touch technology by the end of this year, paving the way for the commercialization of the next-generation touch technology next year.
TPK considers silver nanowire technology a crucial element in its efforts to regain its past glory given its high entry barrier and the company’s extensive patent coverage.
Silver nanowire is riding on the trend of making flexible displays available on a growing number of devices — from mobile phones to 65-inch electronic whiteboards in schools and video conferencing equipment in offices.
“We have high hopes for SNW. We have a better chance this time [than our rivals],” TPK chairman Michael Chiang (江朝瑞) told reporters.
Unlike most older touch technologies, silver nanowire is a less risky investment as the technology is “applicable to all sizes from small to medium, large and super-large [displays] ... and to various applications,” Chiang said.
Silver nanowire is suitable for flexible touch module, unlike indium tin oxide, which is rigid and inflexible, Chiang said.
Indium tin oxide, the most commonly used electronic conductor today, is too costly to be used in large touch panels, he said.
“As the flexible display ecosystem is taking shape ... we expect SNW technology to burgeon in 2019 and to thrive in 2020,” he added.
A growing number of end device vendors has begun testing the new touch technology on their products, TPK said, adding that it expects the new-generation touch technology to be commercialized in the first half of next year.
TPK said it has poured a lot of resources into developing silver nanowire technology over the past five years and has built technological capabilities that few peers can rival.
Its potential major rival is C3nano, a US firm that is also developing silver nanowire technology.
The company is to provide one-stop shop for silver nanowire technology — from raw material supply to touch module assembly.
Before the new technology takes off, TPK expects revenue to be flat or grow slightly this year from last year’s NT$107.21 billion (US$3.58 billion), according to Chiang’s projection.
“The second quarter will be the worst period. After that, we expect a pickup to begin in the third and fourth quarters,” Chiang said.
TPK shareholders yesterday approved a proposal to distribute a cash dividend of NT$3 per share based on last year’s earnings per share of NT$6.64.
That represented a yield of 5.55 percent based on its closing price of NT$66 in Taipei trading yesterday.
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