Panel Makers AUO and Chimei of Taiwan See Over 10% Revenue Growth in August

Taipei, Sept.17, 2012 (CENS)--With Taiwan's panel industry into the peak season, AU Optronics Corp. (AUO), a Taiwanese panel maker, saw revenues in August increase 10.7% month on month (MoM) to NT$35.103 billion (US$1.17 billion), with Chimei Innolux Corp., another major panel manufacturer on the island, reaching NT$44.404 billion (US$1.48 billion) in revenues, up 11.6% MoM to a new high this year, and HannStar Display Corp.'s revenues up 12.92% MoM to NT$3.529 billion (US$117.63 million).

In August, AUO shipped over 10.08 million large-sized panels, up 6.7% MoM, and 15.83 million small & medium-sized ones, up 34.7% MoM. Driven by shipments of iPad mini, small & medium-sized panels accounted for 35% of AUO's total shipments in August, estimates an institutional investor.

Chimei saw large-sized panel shipments in August hit a record high of 13.893 million units, growing 10.6% MoM, with small & medium-sized ones increasing 7.8% MoM to 365.62 million units.

S.L. Peng, general manager of AUO, indicated that growing orders in the third quarter fully loaded plant utilizations, and panel prices will likely rise without expansion of production capacity to sap supplies' capability to meet demand in the coming peak season.

AUO's shipments of new panels including 39 inches and 50 inches will continue to grow in the third quarter, along with other high value-added panels as AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode), OGS (one glass solution), and tablet PCs, boosting gross profit margin and profits, said Peng.

C.X. Guo, a manager of Chimei, said the firm's production capacity of TV panels have been fully-loaded from the second to the third quarter.