As the old adage goes, good things don’t need to worry about obscurity—OLED lighting is a prime example. Known for its lightweight, soft glow, energy efficiency, and transparency, OLED is rapidly becoming a darling in numerous industries, heralding the dawn of the fourth lighting revolution.
With OLED costs steadily declining, an increasing number of mobile phone makers are jumping on the OLED bandwagon. Brands like Huawei, Xiaomi, and OPPO have already released premium smartphones featuring OLED displays, leveraging OLED as a key selling point. For 2017, it’s highly probable that we’ll see even more new phones adopting OLED technology.
Samsung, the global leader in OLED technology, dominates nearly 99% of the global OLED market for screens under 10 inches. Apple's massive OLED orders could make it challenging for domestic mobile phone manufacturers to adopt OLED technology.
This year, over 90% of the OLED market is expected to be dominated by wearable devices and high-end smartphones. Beyond consumer electronics, OLED technology also finds applications in sectors such as medicine, art, retail, automotive, and smart homes.
In 2017, the shortage of OLED displays is a given. According to TGII statistics, OLED display sales in 2016 amounted to around $15 billion, representing a year-over-year increase of more than 30%. The penetration rate of OLED in mobile phones approached 20%.
With Apple set to embrace OLED displays in 2017, GGII predicts that OLED displays will gain even more traction, with high-end OLED screens likely to remain in short supply for the next 2-3 years.
It’s undeniable that OLED production capacity and yields are rising, drawing significant attention from the industry. Since 2017, major domestic and international manufacturers have made substantial investments.
UDC
On May 5th, shares of UDC (Universal Display Corporation, ticker OLED), an American OLED materials company, surged by 23.87%, surpassing the $100 mark. Institutional sources suggest that UDC's explosive growth may signal an impending boom in the entire OLED industry.
UDC supplies materials to Samsung for its OLED displays and holds over 4,200 patents. The company also profits from licensing its OLED material patents. UDC’s performance reflects the overall health of the OLED industry, with first-quarter results showing significant increases, indicating accelerated growth in the sector.
LG Display, reported by BusinessKorea on May 22nd, plans to construct the P10 plant in Paju, South Korea. The plant aims to produce large OLED panels for TVs and smaller OLED panels for mobile devices. It’s anticipated that 70% of the production will focus on small and medium-sized OLED panels. Covering an area equivalent to 14 football fields, the P10 plant will be the world's largest OLED production facility. LG Display plans to invest 10 trillion won, the highest investment ever for a single panel plant, with production slated to begin in the first half of 2018.
LG Display is aggressively competing for Apple’s OLED orders but has faced delays due to a shortage of vacuum machines required for OLED production. Recent reports indicate that LG Display has procured two Canon Tokki vacuum deposition machines, set to be installed in December this year and February next year, to secure Apple’s favor.
In July, The Korea Herald reported that Apple is negotiating with LG Display to invest between 2 trillion and 3 trillion won (approximately $11.8 billion to $17.8 billion) in a new OLED production line. In return, LG Display will exclusively produce OLED screens for the Apple iPhone.
LG Display’s new factory, known as E6, is set to become operational in 2019. In June, LG announced plans to invest $3.5 billion to expand OLED screen production capacity. Much of the funding reportedly comes from Apple itself.
LG Display announced on July 25th that it plans to invest 7.8 trillion won ($47.3 billion) to expand production facilities for both large and small OLED panels. Additionally, LG Display stated that it would increase the capacity of large OLED panels in China through joint ventures.
LG Display recently unveiled an investment plan worth approximately 90 billion RMB. The company will invest in either a 10.5-generation or 6-generation OLED panel production line in Korea and establish an 8.5-generation OLED panel production line in Guangzhou.
BOE and OLED Material Suppliers
Global OLED materials manufacturer BOE announced on May 24th that it has reached a preliminary agreement with BOE, China’s largest LCD panel maker, to develop strategic cooperation in OLED business. The goal is to create high-performance OLED panel products.
Nikkei News reported that Idemitsu, a Japanese company, holds a significant number of patents related to the indispensable blue luminescent materials used in OLED panels. Meanwhile, BOE is conducting research and development efforts, planning to mass-produce OLED panels in multiple Chinese factories. Collaborating with BOE, BOE aims to accelerate the establishment of mass production technologies for OLED panels.
MoneyDJ News reported on May 15th that BOE’s first 6-generation flexible AMOLED production line in Chengdu, mainland China, has commenced operations. With a monthly design capacity of 48,000 glass substrates, it targets the high-end mobile phone display and emerging mobile display markets.
BOE also began construction of a 6-generation flexible OLED production line in Mianyang, Sichuan Province, last December. The planned monthly production capacity is 48,000 glass substrates (measuring 1850mm x 1500mm), with mass production expected in 2019.
Apple
The Korea Economic Daily reported that Apple has invested 2.7 billion won in LG, representing the bulk of the $3.5 billion investment in this OLED production line. This deal will enable LG to boost production of small OLED displays while ensuring Apple has access to sufficient OLED screens.
Nikkei News reported on July 6th that Apple is developing three new iPhones expected to launch in the second half of 2018, with all models likely to feature OLED displays. Multiple sources confirmed that Apple plans to sell three OLED-equipped iPhones in late 2018.
Samsung
Currently holding a 95% market share in smartphone OLED displays, Samsung plans to solidify its lead by constructing the world’s largest OLED display factory.
Sharp
According to Nikkei News, Sharp's Vice President stated during the financial briefing on July 28th that Sharp is currently developing 4.5-inch OLED technology. Production line preparations are underway for limited initial production, with mass production contingent upon market demand. No specific timeline was provided.
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