[테크월드=이나리 기자] Shipments of organic light-emitting materials used to produce organic light-emitting diode displays are forecast to reach 53 tons in 2017, up 29 percent from the previous year.
In the first half of 2017, small- and mid-sized OLED panels accounted for 87 percent (or 46 tons) of total organic light-emitting materials consumption.
Samsung Display, which has been mass producing small- and mid-sized OLED panels, is the biggest customer of organic light-emitting materials in this segment, with a 92 percent share in terms of volume.
The launch of the Galaxy S8 and S8+; steady rise in demand for OLED panels from Chinese set makers; and Apple’s adoption of OLED panels to its next iPhone are driving the demand for organic light-emitting materials.
In 2017, the FMM RGB, a solution widely used to produce small- and mid-sized OLED panels, will account for 87 percent of total organic light-emitting material consumption in terms of volume, and the white OLED (WOLED) solution, used to produce large OLED panels, will represent the rest 13 percent.
South Korea-based Samsung Display and LG Display, which mainly churn out small- and mid-sized OLED panels and large OLED panels, respectively, are projected to consume 98 percent of total organic light-emitting material shipments in 2017, while Chinese panel maker EverDisplay Optronics (EDO) will account for the remaining 2 percent. Demand from Chinese panel makers will grow to 5 percent in 2018, mainly due to BOE’s fab in Chengdu that will kick off mass production in the fourth quarter of 2017.