SANTA CLARA, CA — Despite the gloomy global economy and concerns regarding the decline in sales of consumer LCD products, TFT LCD panel suppliers are still expecting shipments to grow 8% in 2012, according to NPD DisplaySearch.

The research firm says unit sales will rise to 757 million and revenue increase 13% to $85.3 billion, triggered by strong demand for mobile PC and LCD TV panels.

Table 1: Large-Area TFT Panel Shipments (millions)

Source: NPD DisplaySearch

Table 2: Large-Area TFT Panel Revenues (US$ billions)

Source: NPD DisplaySearch

“The growth in shipments and revenue this year shows that the TFT LCD industry is recovering from price declines and supply chain inventory adjustments, although the recovery looks very modest,” said David Hsieh, vice president, Greater China Market for NPD DisplaySearch.

“Panel makers are quickly adapting to the shifts in demand and developing new technologies, features, and sizes. Chinese LCD makers are rapidly increasing production, and Korean, Japanese, and Taiwanese manufacturers are restructuring and deploying new technologies and processes to improve costs and display performance. It is clear that the TFT LCD industry has not yet reached maturity but is simply entering a new chapter.”

Mobile PC/tablet panels (excluding mini-note PCs) are growing. 2012 notebook PC panel shipments are forecast to grow 13% year-over-year, due to strong promotions for existing models and the recently introduced ultrabook models championed by Intel. Tablet PC panel makers are targeting shipments of 72.8 million units of 9.7” panels in 2012, including those for the iPad 2, the New iPad, and private label tablet products. Shipments of 10.1” tablet panels are expected to be over 17M in 2012. Shipments of 10.6” panels, especially for Microsoft’s Surface tablet, are also seeing a strong ramp up in 2H’12. Total tablet PC panel shipments are expected to rise 61% year-over-year.

2011 was the first year that shipments of LCD TV panels declined, and panel makers were looking for a turnaround this year. For 2012, they targeted 6% growth, expecting stronger demand in China, triggered by replacements, new models, and the country’s energy subsidy program. LCD TV panel prices rebounded in the June quarter, and prices of some sizes are still rising due to tight supply. New TV panel sizes such as 28”W, 29”W, 39”W, 50”W, 58”W, 60”W, and 65”W are also playing a key role in shipment growth. LCD TV panel revenue growth is helping to improve overall large-area LCD panel revenues in 2012.