South Korea will be able to retake its position as the largest display panel producer from China by 2027, Samsung Display’s CEO said on Thursday.
Samsung Display CEO Choi Joo-sun told reporters at the sidelines of the Korea Display Industry Association’s (KDIA) first board meeting for this year, where he was also named the new chairman of the association, a domestic industry interest group.
However, Choi also added that the situation had many variables as it will also depend on how much revenue is generated from the liquid crystal display (LCD) market.
Chinese companies were also realizing the limits of LCD performance and shifting their focus to OLED panels, he also said.
When South Korea reclaims its position as the largest display panel producer in the world will depend on how the industry-wide shift to OLED will play out, but it will be achieved by 2027, the CEO added.
The operation rate of Gen 6 OLED factories of Chinese panel companies BOE, CSOT, Tianma, Visionox, Everdisplay, and others have increased dramatically from increased orders for the panels in smartphones.
Many of these companies have secured enough orders from customers to operate their OLED factories at full capacity, due to the popularity of OLED smartphones in China.
South Korean display panel makers were still ahead in terms of technology development by a year to a year and a half compared to their Chinese rivals, though the gap has narrowed compared to the past, the KDIA chairman also said.
Samsung Display will increase its hit ratio, or success rate, in its research and continue to secure talents in the area to stay head, he added.
On when OLED will be adopted more widely in products besides smartphones, Choi said the process will take longer.
This is because larger displays require more advanced technological requirements, and South Korean companies were ahead of their Chinese rivals in this aspect, he said.
