Trends in the touch panel supply chain, 2010-2014

The touch panel sector was one of the few bright spots in the global tech industry in 2011, with production value growing 88% on year to reach US$12.56 billion. Shipments are expected to increase 25% in 2012 and though growth will slow through 2014, the strong market is driving competition among players in Korea, Japan and Greater China.

This Digitimes Special Report examines the role of the different regions and the technologies and manufacturing methods being employed and developed in order to gain a competitive edge in the market.

• Outlook and analysis of global touch panel market (2010-2014)

• Chart 1: Value of global touch panel shipments, 2010-2014 (US$m)

• Chart 2: Global shipments of touch panels for use in tablets, 2010-2012 (k units)

• Chart 3: Global touch panel shipment volumes, 2010-2014 (k units)

• Chart 4: Value of global touch panel shipments, 2010-2014 (US$m)

• Touch panels in the mobile phone and tablet market

• Chart 5: Global shipments of touch panels for use in mobile phones, 2010-2014 (m units)

• Touch panel manufacturers striving to maximize margins

• Embedded touch panels as competitive advantage for Japan and South Korea makers

• Chart 6: Global shipment volumes of embedded AMOLED touch panels, 2010-2014 (k units)

• Touch panel makers in the Greater China region introduce OGS and roll-to-roll processes

• Chart 7: Proportion of mobile phone touch panel shipments accounted for by projective-capacitive touch panels, 2011-2012

• China-based firms likely to increase penetration rates through low prices

• Chart 8: Mobile phone touch panel shipment share by manufacturer region, 2011-2012,

• Chart 9: Projective-capacitive mobile phone touch panel shipment share by geographic region (manufacturers)

• Taiwan-based manufacturers remain the principle suppliers for tablet touch panels

• Chart 10: Tablet touch panel shipments by manufacturing region, 2011-2012

• Significant technical hurdles must be overcome for large touch panels suitable for PCs

• Chart 11: Pros and cons of the launch of Windows 8 for the touch panel industry

• Conclusion

• Taiwan-based touch panel makers - trends and supply chain analysis

• Table 1: Supply chain for projective-capacitive touch panels

• Trends and supply chain analysis for projective-capacitive touch panel manufacturers

• Chart 12: Mobile phone projective-capacitive touch panel shipments and share thereof, 2011-2012

• TPK to maintain competitiveness through acquisitions and product line expansion

• Chart 13: TPK's three main strategies to cope with the changing market

• Wintek first to bring OGS touch panels to tier-one international brands; likely to reduce its dependence on Apple

• Chart 14: Winketk transition from one conventional to three new technologies

• Other manufacturers remain focused on touch sensor, with OGS the hope for the future

• Chart 15: Business development map for Taiwan's major glass touch panel manufacturers

• Trends and supply chain analysis for thin-film projective-capacitive touch panel manufacturers

• Table 2: Recent developments for Taiwan's three main thin-film touch panel manufacturers

• Youngfast and JTouch actively expanding capacity and continue to dominate the low-end to midrange smartphone touch panel market

• Table 3: Recent client base expansion by Taiwan's three main thin-film touch panel makers

• Compal switches its focus towards glass touch panels

• Trends and supply chain analysis for TFT LCD and color filter manufacturers' projective-capacitive touch panel businesses

• Table 4: Recent developments in the touch panel businesses of Taiwan's TFT LCD manufacturers

• Conclusion

• Table 5: Capacity expansion efforts at Taiwan's major touch panel manufacturers (m units)

• Trends and supply chain analysis for China-based touch panel manufacturers

• Chart 16: Mobile phone touch panel shipment share by manufacturer region, 2011-2012

• Three key trends in the China touch panel industry

• Chart 17: Three main trends in the China touch panel industry

• Chart 18: Smartphone shipments for the global industry and for China-based brands, 2011-2012 (m units)

• Table 6: Changing specifications of Lenovo's smartphones

• Chart 19: Mobile phone touch panel shipments to Samsung by supplier region, 2011-2012

• Chart 20: Global smartphone shipment share by vendor, 2011-2012

• China-based manufacturers to focus mainly on thin-film touch panels

• Table 7: Monthly capacity of China's major projective-capacitive touch panel makers, 2011-2012 (m panels)

• China touch panel makers continue to expand capacity, although trend toward inland relocation is slowing

• Table 8: Distribution of factories for China's major touch panel makers, 2011-2012

• Trends and supply chain analysis for projective-capacitive panel makers

• EELY sticks to its thin-film printing process and catches eye of Samsung

• Table 9: Recent developments at EELY

• O-Film also wins Samsung supplier status

• Table 10: Recent developments at O-Film

• Mutto possesses yellow-light photolithography process equipment for thin-film touch panels

• Table 11: Recent developments at Mutto

• Truly has capacity for both thin-film and glass touch panels, and will soon begin supplying major international manufacturers

• Table 12: Recently developments at Truly

• Recent developments for China's other major touch panel makers

• Table 13: Recent devlopments for other China-based touch panel makers

• Tianma leads China's TFT LCD manufacturers in terms of touch panel business development

• Table 14: Recent developments in the touch panel businesses of China's major small/medium TFT LCD makers

• Strengths and weaknesses of the touch panel industries in Taiwan and China

• Conclusion

• New touch panel technologies and involvement by manufacturers in the Greater China region

• Chart 21: Past and future efforts to simplify touch panel structures

• Comparison of thin-film and glass-type projective capacitive touch panel technologies and pricing

• Chart 22: Prices of GFF and GG projective-capacitive touch modules (US$)

• Outlook for new projective-capacitive touch panel technologies

• Chart 23: Comparing the structure of OGS and embedded touch panels

• G1F and OGS share process technologies to manufacture touch sensors directly on cover glass

• Chart 24: The two main methods of putting touch sensors on to cover glass

• New technological concepts and associated technical issues for embedded projective-capacitive touch panels

• Chart 25: Structural diagram of embedded touch panels

• Table 15: New projective-capacitive touch panel technologies and global manufacturers' involvement

• Conclusion