Flat panel market soars

Flat panel display revenues jumped 20 per cent in Q2 on the back of eight per cent more unit shipments than Q1. With demand outstripping supply until the end of next year earliest, FPD manufacturers are beginning to look like the cat that licked the cream. Shipments of standalone displays rose 30 per cent to account for 74 per cent of the world shipments, according to DisplaySearch's quarterly report on the industry. This success was not echoed in shipments of the bundled counterparts, which fell by as much as 28 per cent in Japan, and 26 per cent worldwide. This trend, combined with the increased prices hit the home office sector hard. It dropped eight per cent on the last quarter. In the quarter, LCD market penetration was up nearly four per cent to 11.4 per cent of the total destop monitor market. Corporate customers were the major contributor to growth, soaking up one quarter of all shipments globally. Although NEC's shipments fell by 13 per cent in the quarter, the company retained its position as number one in both the standalone and bundled markets, with 21.3 per cent of the world market. The nearest competitor is Fujitsu, with a nine per cent market share, followed by Mitsubishi and Compaq, both with around six per cent of the pie. ®