Taiwan's shipments of large-size panels (excluding Sharp's) are expected to grow 6.7% sequentially in third-quarter 2020 after registering a robust growth in the previous quarter, according to Digitimes Research.
The fourth quarter will see a sequential 4.6% drop in shipments, which nevertheless will represent an on-year rise of 10.8%.
Taiwan's large-size panel (9-inch and above) shipments came to 64.38 million units in the second quarter of 2019, up 35% on quarter and 10.8% on year, bolstered by deferred shipments from the previous quarter and increased shipments for IT (notebook and monitor) and tablet applications supporting the emerging remote work and study trends amid the coronavirus pandemic.
As a result, shipments of large-size panels for IT applications surged 43% sequentially in the second quarter, followed by those for other applications such as medical at 41.3%. Panels for tablet applications grew below the industry's average to settle at 32.6% as Taiwan's makers were not the primary suppliers for Apple's iPad devices in the quarter. Meanwhile, TV panel shipments were up 19.5%.
Digitimes Research believes that the shipment momentum will continue through the third quarter due mainly to seasonal effects, with those IT applications riding high amid lingering pandemic impacts in the US, Europe and Japan.
The closure of some of their LCD panel production lines by Korea's panel makers by the end of the fourth quarter will help Taiwanese peers maintain their shipment momentum in the quarter.