In March, the freight volume of LCD panels over 9 inches reached a new high of 12.5 million pieces per month; In April, it slightly decreased to 12.3 million units, but the LCD industry still performed outstandingly, with an annual growth rate of 11%. At that time, industry players were optimistic that the market was about to recover, but the situation suddenly changed in May. China, the world's largest TV market, saw a 13% annual decline in TV sales during the May Day Labor Day holiday. In the past, May Day was the peak demand for Chinese television, and manufacturers vigorously promoted and launched new products. However, this year's sales were not satisfactory. South Korean industry insiders revealed that the panel transportation volume decreased significantly last month, and industry players have begun to adjust production capacity.
Industry insiders point out that the volatility in the past few months has been extremely severe, affecting the procurement volume of parts. It is no longer possible to rely on tablets, ultra-high resolution (UHD) TVs, and smartphone panels to dominate the future growth of the LCD market. Industry insiders predict that LCD panel prices will slightly decline this month, and panel manufacturers will adjust their shipping volume and reduce the purchase of parts, which will affect upstream and downstream industries.
Based on the global demand for optical films for LCD backlight modules, the total production capacity was approximately 120000 tons in 2011, 230000 tons in 2013, 290000 tons in 2014, and is expected to reach 360000 tons by 2016. According to experts' predictions, the annual demand for optical grade polyester base film in the global flat panel display industry will reach over 300000 tons in the next three years.