Taiwan panel makers' shipments of large-size (9-inch and above) TFT LCD panels will reach 67.01 million in the fourth quarter of 2014, down 1.3% on quarter but up 4.2% on year, representing the fourth consecutive quarter of on-year increase as a result of the global economy recovering, according to Digitimes Research.
Taiwan's 9-inch and above size tablet shipments will be down on quarter compared to Samsung Display, LG Display and Sharp, all of which expect to see over 10% sequential growth during the fourth quarter as a result of orders from Apple.
For notebook and monitor panel applications, Taiwan makers expect to see a small decline as both markets see limited demand. In terms of TV applications, panel shipments will be down following strong demand in the previous quarter when vendors prepared for the year-end holidays. Additionally, LG Display and BOE will begin adding new capacity and production to newly established or existing 8.5G lines, causing some orders to be shifted away.
Overall, the makers' shipments are expected to grow 4.4% on year in 2014 to reach 264.7 million, said Digitimes Research.
In terms of small- to medium-size applications, Taiwan's related shipments are expected to grow 2.6% sequentially to reach 338 million units. Some orders were delayed in the third quarter to help boost Taiwan's panel volume and demand for phablet devices is expected to increase, which will push up Taiwan makers' tablet panel shipments 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Additionally, the makers' vehicle and PND panel shipments will see on-quarter growth of 6.6% and 4.4% respectively as they further enter the supply chains of major automakers in North America and Europe.