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Prices of LCD TV panels of all sizes have started to soften from June and are now on a noticeable downward trend in August, according to the latest report from WitsView, a division of TrendForce. Size segments that are seeing significant price decline include the 65- and the 55-inch as well as the mid-size panels ranging from the 40- to the 43-inch.
TrendForce’s latest smartphone market research finds flat growth in the global production volume between the first and second quarter of 2017. Similar to the prior three-month period, smartphone sales in the second quarter were lackluster and affected by the anticipation of the 10th anniversary iPhone release in the next half of the year. In total, the global smartphone production volume reached 324 million units in the second quarter. Samsung, Apple and Huawei retained first, second and third place, respectively, in the worldwide production volume ranking for the period. Xiaomi managed to surpass LG to take sixth place in the ranking.
Industry 4.0 is a concept that has attracted a lot of attention in the global marketplace since its emergence in 2012. Following this conceptual framework, manufacturing companies in various industries have embarked on a mission to transform their operations by deploying smart technologies. TrendForce’s ongoing coverage of smart manufacturing solutions indicates that investments in related hard- and software have been growing steadily. Furthermore, this market is seeing rising demand and a trend towards integrated solutions. TrendForce forecasts that the size of the global market for smart manufacturing solutions will surpass US$320 billion by 2020.
Foxconn on July 26 announced the initiation of its “Flying Eagle Project” in North America and a US$10 billion investment to build a Gen-10.5 LCD panel fab in Wisconsin. According to WitsView, a division of TrendForce, this proposed plant will be mainly producing panels of 8K resolution. Display technologies behind 8K resolution are well developed and have existed for a while. Nonetheless, Foxconn’s Wisconsin plant represents the first-ever attempt to build LCD manufacturing capacity in North America. As LCD technology matures, having an integrated supply chain for its end products near or within the key regional markets will be crucial to the competitiveness of panel suppliers and consumer electronics brands.
The latest smartphone market research by TrendForce shows that global sales have been fairly tepid in the first half of 2017. Besides the traditional off season effects, consumers have held off purchases in anticipation of future products with more exciting features. Still, total smartphone production volume for this year’s first half expanded by 7% compared with first half of the prior year, totaling nearly 650 million units. Collectively, Chinese brands posted a year-on-year growth in their production volume during these six months, while non-Chinese brands together recorded a year-on-year decrease.