LCD panel maker AUO Corp (友達) yesterday said that customers have stepped up buying in preparation for new television or notebook computer launches in the second half of this year or next year after supply chain inventories recovered to healthy levels.
With demand for inventory rebuild emerging, prices for some computer and monitor panels have seen a mild pickup, AUO chairman Paul Peng (彭双浪) told reporters on the sidelines of the launch of the Taiwan Climate Institute in Taipei.
“The whole supply chain looks healthy now. Inventory in China has also dropped to healthy levels,” Peng said. “The industry’s supply-demand dynamics have improved and become balanced. As a result, the company’s business in the second quarter should be better than the first quarter.”
Photo: CNA
AUO has received rush orders for panels used in TVs and notebook computers, as customers prepare new products for the second half of this year or next year, Peng said.
TV PANELS
Among all segments, TV panels have shown the greatest improvement in demand, as the TV sector was the first one to undergo an inventory correction last year, he said.
Panels used in commercial devices are likely to follow and see inventory return to normal next quarter, he said.
With demand improving gradually and panel prices on track for a rebound, AUO expects its bottom line to return to the black some time this year, he said.
Commenting on a 20 percent price hike by glass substrate supplier Corning Inc for all its product lines, Peng said it was an indicator that the industry was moving in a positive direction.
The prices of most TV panels started picking up last quarter and have climbed to levels exceeding the costs of most flat-panel manufacturers this quarter, market researcher TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) said yesterday.
The prices of 32-inch and 43-inch TV panels are forecast to rise US$2 per unit this month from the previous month, the Taipei-based researcher said.
The prices of 50-inch and 55-inch TV panels are to increase by US$7 and US$8 per unit, according to the latest pricing information from TrendForce.
The prices of 65-inch and 75-inch TV panels are to climb by US$10 each, it showed.
COMPUTER PANELS
The prices of panels used in monitors and notebook computers are expected to be flat this month, as PC vendors remain conservative about rebuilding panel inventory amid concern over consumer demand in the second half of the year.
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