Shindo exclusive supplier of laminator for Samsung foldable OLED
But earnings this year to be lower than expected from slowdown in Chinese market
Shindo ENG Lab was the exclusive supplier of laminator that attach the hinge frame and OLED panel in Samsung Electronics’ foldable phone, TheElec has learned.
The company has supplied 28 laminators so far. Shindo supplied 15 units in the first half and 13 in the second half.
Shindo was expecting laminator supply to Samsung to increase from increased shipment in foldable phones going forward.
The company has also supplied the equipment to Chinese companies. It supplied four units to BOE and one unit to Visionox. BOE was using the kit to make OLED panels for Huawei Mate X.
Shindo has supplied various lamination technology for the production of foldable phones, a spokesperson said. It can provide kit to attach ultra-thin glass and polyimide film to the OLED panel, they said.
The company is expecting increased sales from Chinese companies due to these features, it said.
The company was also confident in sales of its 3D laminator it said. These are used for edge display, where the screen is slightly bent.
Demand for 90, 130 and 160 degree bending in displays was high from the Chinese smartphones, the firm said. The company can offer 160 degree edge, it said. Samsung usually bends its display by 60 to 80 degrees.
The company also has technology to not make the OLED panel break during lamination, Shindo said. It uses a silicon pad to disperse the stress from attaching a film to a bent glass, it said. It uses a diaphragm method to apply the same pressure to the whole area of the film to increase yield rate, Shindo said.
Shindo’s earnings this year is expected to be disappointing. Around 90% of the company’s sales come from BOE, CSOT,Tianma and Visionox but these companies has delayed their investments. Shindo’s accumulated sales as of the third quarter was 29.8 billion won. Last year, the firm marked 84.8 billion won in sales.
The company said some of the orders it expected in the third and fourth quarters of 2020 has been delayed to 2021. Next year, China’s Royole and Everdisplay is expected to start new investments, Shindo said. Demand from Chinese companies will continue through 2021 to 2023, it said.