According to ITRI IEK statistics, the global touch module revenue is $27,197 million in 2015, a 7.6% increase compared to $25,273 million in 2014. The largest driving force behind this growth in the touch panel industry comes from smartphones. In 2015, 1.29 billion smartphones were shipped globally, with a growth of 10% from the previous year. China, with all brands combined, rolled out 539 million smartphones in total (more than 40% of global production) and also boasts itself as the home to 7 out of 10 largest smartphone companies in the world. Its global market share is at a record high and still growing. HUAWEI just beat Lenovo and became the world’s third largest and China’s largest smartphone company. However, a single-digit growth (about 6~7%) is projected for smartphone production globally in 2016. The growth engine of the past will not be able to sustain future growth alone.
I. Current status of the global touch industry
II. Trends and strategy analysis of Taiwan’s manufacturers
III. Dynamics and strategy analysis of China, Japan and Korea’s manufacturers
IV. Conclusion
Figure 1. global touch module revenue forecast
Figure 2. Panasonic automotive touch panel deployment and supply chain