Digitimes Research says that small-to-medium LCD panel shipments from Taiwan-based firms will decline 2% during the third quarter of 2018. This drop has been attributed to the extension of LCD profile-cutting to support ‘notched’ panels to include amorphous silicon (a-Si) panels alongside LTPS and making these panels reduces throughput.
It will follow a 5.2% quarter-on-quarter growth seen in the second quarter of the year, driven by shipments of profile-cut smartphone panels from AU Optronics and Innolux, where small-to-medium-sized panels for most major applications reported growth, including smart speakers, industrial and automotive.
Shipments of LCD panels out of Taiwan are also estimated to drop further in the fourth quarter of 2018, due to the usual seasonal factors.
