Surge in PDP production: Samsung and Korea are #1

Samsung SDI Co. announced yesterday that it produced a record 215,000 plasma display panels last month, cementing its position as the No. 1 player in the global PDP industry. It was the first monthly PDP output of over 200,000 units by any single manufacturer worldwide, company officials said. In Seoul, officials at Samsung SDI attributed the firm’s August output, which surged 139 percent compared to the previous month, to improved productivity, a diversified client portfolio and precise market forecasts, among other factors. “This record is a milestone achievement since we started mass production of PDPs in July 2001, largely because of the successful application of new technology and improved productivity,” a company official said. The record production came only five months after Samsung SDI reached a monthly output of 150,000 units in March. Meanwhile, the company has lifted its annual sales target for 2005 to 2.2 million units, up 153 percent from a year ago. Samsung SDI’s share of the global PDP market has jumped from 31 percent in the first half to 34 percent in August, the company noted. South Korea, led by the world’s top PDP makers, Samsung SDI and LG Electronics Inc., is expected to account for 64 percent of global PDP supply this year, according to industry analysts. In contrast, Japan is likely to have a 35 percent market share, split between Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. and Fujitsu Hitachi Plasma display (a joint venture between Hitachi Ltd. and Fujitsu Ltd.). Last year, South Korea’s PDP market share stood at 41.9 percent, compared with Japan’s 55.7 percent. In other news, Samsung SDI’s parent, Samsung Electronics Co., disclosed its aim to become the No. 1 player in the global digital TV market by the end of next year. “We will become the top player in all digital TV sectors next year,” said Choi Gee-sung, Cheif Executive of Samsung Electronics’ digital media division, in a press conference held on the sidelines of the IFA consumer electronics fair in Berlin. The digital TV sectors consist of PDP TVs, liquid crystal display (LCD) TVs, projection TVs and slim cathode-ray tube TVs.