OLED display shipments reach 72.1 million units in 2006

OLED display shipments rose in 2006, but revenues were $475 million, down 3%, as the ASP dropped 24% year-on-year, according to a new report from DisplaySearch.

OLED displays compete with LCDs in small/medium applications, such as mobile phone main displays and sub-displays, MP3s, and automotive consoles.

The top six suppliers (Samsung SDI, LGE, RiTdisplay, Pioneer, Univision, TDK) had a market share of 92.4% as the industry continued to consolidate. Samsung had the largest revenue of $100 million.

In the fourth quarter of 2006, OLED shipments were 22.2 million units and revenues hit $145.3 million. RiTdisplay regained the top position in both units and revenue with 5.4 million displays and $26.5 million in revenue. Pioneer was fifth in shipments and second in revenue, while Samsung SDI was second in shipments and third in revenue for the quarter.

Passive matrix (PM) OLEDs continue to dominate the market with a revenue share of more than 93%. There are now 13 small molecule and two P-OLED producers, with small molecule having a 99% revenue share.

Sub-displays and MP3 player displays continue to account for about 90% of shipments at 12.3 million and 7.9 million units, respectively, in Q4'06 Of the remaining applications, main displays and industrial applications showed strong growth, but volume remained low.

In other news included in the report:

• Samsung SDI and Sony began production of AMOLEDs in Q1'07.
• Teco (Taiwan), which is moving its fab from Taiwan to China, continued to use its Taiwan fab, shipping MP3 displays to iRiver.
• Revenues are forecast to grow to over $142.5 million in Q1’07, due in large part to the introduction of AMOLEDs for mobile phone main displays by Samsung SDI.

DisplaySearch's Quarterly OLED Shipment and Forecast Report includes shipments, revenues and ASPs by application, material type, driver technology and supplier. It also shows capacity plans by supplier and has a comprehensive supply/demand forecast.