Coretronic Leads Backlight-module Makers in Taiwan in 2009
2010/01/26 | By Quincy LiangTaipei, Jan. 26, 2010 (CENS)--Most major backlight-module makers in Taiwan reported revenue growth in 2009, except Kenmos Technology Co., Ltd.
Both Coretronic Corp. and Radiant Opto-electronics Corp. reported rising sales to Korean panel suppliers last year, and anticipate further sales growth as Korean customers are actively developing LED-backlight TV panels.
Coretronic registered total 2009 revenues of NT$77.4 billion (US$2.38 billion at US$1: NT$32.5), including NT$49 billion (US$1.5 billion) from backlight-module sales (up 5% year-on-year, or YoY), making the company the leader in the local backlight-module sector.
Radiant, the second-largest backlight-module supplier on the island, had consolidated revenues of NT$36.6 billion (US$1.1 billion) last year, up 7% YoY. The company originally focused on notebook PC-backlight products, but said that it would actively develop LED-backlight business this year.
Forhouse Corp., an affiliate of the AU Optronics Corp. (AUO), the largest thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) panel manufacturer in Taiwan, had consolidated revenues of NT$19.98 billion (US$614.8 million) last year, up 25% YoY. While Taiwan Nano Electro-Optical Technology Co., Ltd. registered consolidate revenues of NT$5.17 billion (US$159.1 million), a 14.2% YoY increase.
Industry sources said that all backlight-module makers in Taiwan faced high price-cutting pressure from local TFT-LCD panel makers, who suffered unprecedented operation challenges in 2009 due to the global crash.
The sources attributed Coretronic and Radiant's revenue growths to the successful exploration of the Korean market. More than 50% of Radiant's revenues in 2009, for example, were generated from sales to Korean customers.
In December 2009, Coretronic shipped 1.31 million TV-panel backlight modules (in which over-30-inch models accounted for 76%), 2.73 million monitor-panel backlight modules (with LED-backlight's penetration of 16%), and 2.55 million notebook PC-panel backlights (with LED model's penetration of about 70%).
| Backlight-module Makers' 2009 Revenues | |||
| Company | '09 Revenue (backlight biz only) | YoY | Major Application |
| Coretronic | NT$49 billion | +5.0% | All kinds panels |
| Radiant | NT$36.6 billion | +7.6% | Notebook PC, monitor |
| Forhouse | NT$19.98 billion | +25.0% | Monitor, TV |
| Kenmos | NT$6.48 billion | -30.0% | LED backlight |
| Taiwan Nano | NT$5.17 billion | +14.2% | notebook |
| Source: The companies. | |||