Samsung, LG to ramp up AMOLED production on smartphones, tablet PCs

SEOUL, May 25 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Mobile Display Co. and LG Display Co. are rushing to hike production of advanced display panels and push up their production schedule to meet booming demand in smartphones and tablet computers, industry sources said Wednesday.
Samsung Mobile Display, the leading maker of active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) panels, decided to rev up the operation of its so-called 5.5th generation line in South Korea to next month, an industry official said.
A joint venture between Samsung Electronics Co. and Samsung SDI Co., the top AMOLED maker originally planned to start production of display panels in July.
Samsung Mobile Display claimed 28 percent of the global market for AMOLED displays for mobile phones in 2010.
Its parent Samsung Group said earlier this year that it will shell out more than 5 trillion won (US$4.54 billion) on AMOLED panels whose demand is expected to rise on brisk demand for smartphones and tablet PCs.
AMOLED panels, mostly adopted in mobile phones and small-screen tablet computers, such as Samsung Electronics' flagship Galaxy series, are seen best suited for streaming videos because of vivid image and colors.
Samsung Mobile Display plans to prepare for the 8th generation line that can produce display panels large enough to make televisions while it focuses mostly on mobile panels. The company expects to start production of AMOLED panels for TVs in 2013.
LG Display Co., a laggard in the AMOLED panel area, began in March the production of small-sized AMOLED panels for mobile devices at its 4.5th generation AMOLED line in Paju, north of Seoul, an official said.
The panel maker plans to triple production by the end of this year from March. It also aims to prepare for producing large-size AMOLED panels for TVs that are 30-inches or larger, the source said.