Samsung, LG.Philips Enjoy Brisk LCD Sales
By Kim Yoo-chul
Staff Reporter
Samsung Electronics and LG.Philips LCD, the country’s two flat-panel giants, are continuing their bullish moves in the global flat-panel market, driven by strong demand for panels used in both smaller electric gadgets and large-sized televisions.
According to a report released by DisplaySearch Thursday, Samsung Electronics sold $2.03 billion worth of liquid crystal display (LCD) panels in October, keeping its No. 1 position in the global flat-panel market for 30 months in a row.
It is the first time that Samsung’s monthly LCD sales have surpassed the $2 billion mark.
``What is impressive is that sales of large-sized panels rose 11 percent from the previous month to 8.9 million units, beating Taiwan-based AU Optronics with a gap of 200,000,’’ a Samsung spokesperson said.
``We will ramp up the production of eighth generation panels to meet increasing demand for flat-screen televisions as consumers rapidly ditch bulky cathode-ray tube (CRT) sets,’’ the official added.
The comment came after the Taiwanese firm said Tuesday that it has spent more than $3 billion to build an eighth-generation panel factory, which will start mass-production soon to strengthen profitable larger-sized flat lines.
Samsung captured some 38 percent in the over 40-inch global flat-panel market for the third quarter.
LG.Philips LCD, the runner-up of Samsung, sold $1.7 billion in the same period, up from $1.5 billion a month earlier. However, it failed to overtake the Taiwanese maker in terms of unit sales in those over 10 inches.
The South Korean joint venture with Philips sold 7.8 million units over 10 inches, while the No. 2 AUO sold 7.9 million units in the same category, according to the report.
In sales of LCDs measuring less than 10 inches diagonally, Samsung ranked first with sales worth $191 million, while the Taiwanese company came next with $173 million, the report showed.