According to industry sources, AU Optronics is expecting to see significant growth in worldwide demand for 65” LCD TV panels, and is expecting to ship two million 65” LCD TV panels this year. The company is expanding monthly production capacity from 220,000-230,000 glass substrates to 240,000-255,000 at a budgeted capital expenditure of $330-$495 million.
The company has also adjusted production at the 8.5G factory which will now focus on 65”, 55” and 43” LCD TV panels, and at the 7.5G factory the focus will be on 50” and 75” units.
According to WitsView, there will be 2.2 million 65” LCD TV panels shipped globally in the first quarter of 2017, rising 104% on the previous year’s first quarter. Shipments this year will reach 11 million units, rising 44.7% compared to 2016.
This year, it is expected that Samsung Display and LG Display will together account for 60% of global 65” LCD TV panel shipments. It is also expected that AU Optronics and Innolux together will ship 38% with the remaining 2% being shipped by China-based makers.
WitsView also estimates that 255.6 million LCD TV panels will be shipped globally in 2017, falling 1.8% compared to 2016, but the total area of the shipments will increase by 7.3%.
