Taiwan-based FineMat Applied Materials, a maker of widespread steel masks (CMM) wanted for OLED panel manufacturing, is actively increasing capability to fulfill growing demand for OLED purposes and expects its 2019 revenues to develop 20-30% on 12 months, in response to firm sources.
FineMat has joined Korea’s Sewoo to dominate the worldwide CMM provide, having captured a market share of over 50% in China. Now Taiwan’s AU Optronics (AUO) and China’s BOE Technology, Visionox, Tianma Microelectronics and China Star Optoelectronics Technology (CSOT) are reportedly all among the many agency’s prospects.
FineMat can provide various specs of CMM merchandise to be used at 2.5G to 6G OLED fabs. While finishing up frontend manufacturing on the agency’s plant advanced in Taiwan, the corporate is constructing vegetation in China’s Shanghai and Hubei Province to deal with backend meeting and cleansing operations, with the plant in Hubei set for completion in April 2019 earlier than beginning quantity manufacturing in June, firm sources mentioned.
Also, FineMat will make investments NT$100 million (US$32.38 million) in buying AOI (automated optical inspection) gear at its new vegetation in 2019, firm sources mentioned, including that its capability deployments in Taiwan and China will have the ability to meet buyer demand by way of 2020.
Besides OLED steel masks, FineMat additionally provides stencil printing steel masks and precision cleansing gear, with OLED steel masks contributing 70% of the agency’s annual revenues and gross margins reaching 35-40%.
The firm expects its revenues for 2019 to surge no less than 20% on rising demand for OLED steel masks from China makers, who will kick off quantity manufacturing at 4 new 6G OLED fabs within the 12 months.
Industry sources mentioned that OLED panels are progressively rising as mainstream show for smartphones and see nice potentials from TV, VR, auto and different IT system segments, prompting China makers, Samsung Display and LG show to hold out capability expansions for OLED. The sources estimated OLED market penetration price to surge from 19% in 2017 to 35% in 2020 and rise to 40% in 2024, considerably narrowing the hole with LCD panels.
