Light guide plate shortage or will affect the LED backlight TV production

The TV brand or panel manufacturers, LED backlight TV this year is undoubtedly the product development priorities; to achieve leap LED TV shipment growth target, manufacturers are actively looking for a stable LED chip source, will focus on procurement and preparation of LED and light; however, WitsView believes that the light guide plate with the original the material PMMA supply situation is relatively neglected, but very likely is the most serious shortage this year on LED TV materials.

The light guide plate of raw materials of PMMA (PMMA) form into sheet and two kinds of particles, generally the former mainly through Monitor and TV for cutting a larger size of the light guide plate, and the latter is through the process of injection molding, with higher requirements on the thickness of the light guide plate NB.

WitsView said that in the past, the demand for PMMA is almost equal to the needs of NB and Monitor panel, due to the stability of the IT market, so has been the main problem of PMMA raw materials and plate suppliers to expand production is also a conservative response. However, since the beginning of last year, the side light source LED TV was successfully created by the mainstream market, for different optical design, backlight module must be replaced with light diffusion plate, and the average size of TV than IT products, a substantial increase in the consumption of PMMA has shifted from the consumer even in the future will pile up in excess of requirement, a shortage situation.

WitsView Research Manager Qiu Yubin believes that PMMA real supply problems will focus on the second half of this year. Although the industry has begun to try a variety of possible alternative materials to produce light guide plate, but because of light transmittance and cost considerations, it seems difficult to have a short time there are other materials can be linked up.

As for the PMMA gap will supply chain that part of the biggest impact? Qiu Yubin said, Samsung and LG brands due to product development time earlier, found in the PMMA may be out of stock at the same time, has taken the lead in Japan, with Taiwan, South Korea and China suppliers around the signing of supply contracts, the source of raw materials is relatively stable. As for the beauty and novelty AUO Taiwan panel factory, the relevant enterprises Fuxiang and Chi Mei Industrial are among the three largest global supplier of PMMA plate, in the group of resource support, expected extent by the impact will be relatively limited.

In the LED TV market positioning a theater Chinese domestic brands, although in the master and spare no effort on the preparation of LED itself, but as in the end of the supply chain, and the upstream PMMA suppliers relationship is obviously not if the backlight module factory and panel factory, the material condition of master degree is relatively low. However, the formation of a PMMA gap, leading to the light guide source problems, these brands in the LED TV panel on the group plan is bound to be forced to interrupt, can only turn to seek external procurement.

According to the observation of WitsView, Samsung and the number of brands such as Sharp LED TV panel takeout originally not much, if coupled with the PMMA plate and the light guide plate is out of stock, the market can obtain the actual LED TV panel will be very limited. As a result, LED TV panel in addition to the situation may occur in short supply, the panel price is also due to get support, making the cost of the whole machine LED TV decline faster than expected. Both are expected this year, the LED is expected to be optimistic about the TV permeability is not a small variable.