Share LED TV business machine LED driver IC to fight the price

As the panel industry vigorously cultivates its LED driver IC factory, accelerates the trend of the LED driver IC industry, Evergrande, and the domestic LED driver IC industry, with the rapid expansion of market share, the foreign semiconductor industry and small factory survival space will Compressed, how to break through will test the business intelligence of each factory.

In order to expand the business map, domestic Chi Mei and AUO two panel faucets not only supply panels to LED backlight LCD TV brand manufacturers, but plan to take the LED TV backlight module market, so they try to develop their backlight modules. Career, the vertical integration of the two panel manufacturers has expanded from LED to LED driver IC.

Not only domestic panel makers, but also Samsung and LG, the two Korean panel makers have already launched their LED driver IC layout. Faced with the Panel Group's attempt to support its LED driver IC manufacturers, it will have an impact on the market share of the wholly-owned LED driver IC industry. However, in the face of the situation of the big Evergrande, it will test the physique of the sole-owned LED driver IC supplier. And operational strategy.

LED driver IC is the biggest one

Leading manufacturers such as TSMC, UMC, Hon Hai, Delta, Xinqimei and AUO are competing to deploy LED lighting IC factories in order to master the key components of LED light source and backlight module. Future technology and panel manufacturers are bound to place orders. To the relevant LED driver IC suppliers, the LED driver IC industry, which was originally small, will face more severe challenges.

In the short-term analysis, the proportion of panel manufacturers' LED driver IC outsourcing is still high, and the future variables are increasing.

Lin Rongzong, the associate of the Product Development Division, said that the panel makers will actively expand the layout of their LED driver IC manufacturers through joint ventures and investments, and will become their primary procurement channel in the future. It will pose no small threat to the wholly-owned driver IC industry.

AUO has now integrated Daxin Microelectronics, Xuyao and Ruiding into the vertical supply chain of backlight modules through joint ventures and investment. Chi Mei has also turned Qijing Optoelectronics into a supply chain by transferring investment. Lin Rongzong stressed that at this stage The difference between LED driver IC technology is small, the channel and service will be the key to the success of the market, but the need to build a sound channel and service requires huge funds, especially the number of lighting system businesses is more than hundreds, in order to And the service is comprehensive, unless there is a technology or panel makers backing up, other wholly-owned LED driver IC manufacturers must be deep enough to cope, so the market space of small-scale LED driver ICs will undoubtedly be gradually compressed, the future will be big The situation of Evergrande will become more prominent.

Faced with the technology and panel group's intensive efforts to support its LED driver IC manufacturers, the sole-owned LED driver IC industry is also concerned about the future strategic trends of the company. Lin Rongzong believes that panel makers will not completely abandon the committee in order to diversify operational and investment risks. External procurement, only the proportion of orders will be adjusted, the sole-owned LED driver IC industry must strengthen the technology, access and service capabilities, and expand the application of the operating map in order to stabilize the market.

Xu Pingyu, senior manager of Guangpeng Product Planning, pointed out that Guangpeng will launch a side-lit LED TV with regional dimming solution in the first half of 2011.

However, Xu Pingyu, senior manager of Guangpeng Product Planning, pointed out that although the panel makers are cultivating their LED driver ICs, they can see that the proportion of the original panel manufacturers is still higher than that of the self-owned LED driver ICs. It is obvious that the LED driver IC manufacturers under the panel makers still have to improve their yield.

In addition to panel makers, backlight modules, power modules and TV brands are also trying to divide the side-light LED TV market pies, maintaining a subtle relationship between them and their friends, along with panel and LED TV brand manufacturers. Competing to deploy LED driver ICs and power suppliers through joint ventures and investment to master key components of backlights and power modules. Sole-owned LED driver ICs and power suppliers are actively wooing backlights, power module factories, foundries and panels. Factory, stand firm in the market.

The anti-LED TV big factory skirt with a wholly-owned power chip maker has another way.

Zhang Daolin, general manager of Ansonmei Taiwan, revealed that the domestic panel makers are very interested in the Ansonmei LED TV backlight module power chip solution. However, the market changes are unclear and the order has not been placed.

Zhang Daolin, general manager of On Semiconductor, Taiwan, bluntly stated that if the LED backlight converters and linear LED controllers of the panel companies such as Chi Mei and AUO are self-sufficient, they will gradually threaten the layout of foreign LED driver ICs and power chip manufacturers. However, the sales of power and backlight module factories such as Li Ming and Delta Power, which are invested by Luguang Group, are still high in purchasing power from foreign power chip manufacturers. At this stage, semiconductor component technologies such as power factor correction (PFC), flyback, and switching power supply (SMPS) are still available in Fairchild, NXP, ON Semiconductor, and Texas Instruments (TI). ) and other foreign businessmen.

On the other hand, Taiwan's LED driver IC manufacturers are taking advantage of the strong channels and technical resources of panel makers, such as Qijing, Daxin Microelectronics, Ruiding, etc., or fast and agile combat strength, such as Guangpeng, accumulation, etc. Rapidly attacked the LED TV market in South Korea, Japan, China and Taiwan, and gradually eroded the market share of international manufacturers. However, even if the domestic panel faucet is eager to make a self-made LED TV backlight module, it is not enough to grasp the technology and the market trend. It still relies on the external backlight module and power module factory. The foreign LED driver IC vendors tend to cooperate with the LED TV backlight module and power supply. The module factory maintains a close working relationship and is a favorable estuary for LED driver ICs and power solutions. Zhang Daolin pointed out that Ansonmei will take advantage of the LED TV backlight module and power module to provide a more complete side-light LED TV backlight module power supply strategy, and increase the LED TV market's overall revenue contribution to ON Semiconductor.

At this stage, the backlight module strategy of the panel faucet is still unclear. It is difficult for LED driver ICs and power companies to grasp the future development. Zhang Daolin said that the panel manufacturers' coverage of LED TV backlight module power supply schemes is still unknown, but the scope is still unknown. Future changes in operational strategy will affect the contribution of foreign semiconductor manufacturers in the LED TV market, which will be the focus of foreign semiconductor manufacturers.

As for the domestic LED driver IC manufacturers, in addition to breaking through the nepotism established by the panel makers, they also have to compete with the foreign semiconductor industry for LED TV business opportunities. Now, with its strong cost performance advantage, it has become the number one enemy of foreign chip vendors.

挟Value-for-money advantage Taiwan LED driver IC business attack

At this stage, we observe that the world's top five LED TV panel makers mainly use international LED driver IC suppliers as the main procurement target. However, with the Taiwan LED driver IC industry players more cost-effective, the domestic and foreign LED driver IC industry's power map is Move, especially the mainstream side-lit LED TV technology is getting mature. It is expected that the dependence of the top five panel manufacturers on Taiwan LED driver IC suppliers will increase. Xu Pingyu said that in the past, Samsung, LG, Chi Mei, AUO and Sharp (the world's top five LED TV panel manufacturers prefer to use non-Taiwan LED driver IC manufacturers' products, but after Taiwanese companies have fully utilized their best price/performance advantages, It has been favored by panel manufacturers. So far, the power consumption of LED driver ICs at home and abroad has changed significantly.

In order not to let foreign LED driver IC manufacturers specialize in the past, Guangpeng actively pursues the supply chain of Korean and Taiwan panel manufacturers through the strategic alliance with LED TV power module suppliers. Xu Pingyu revealed that except for cutting into In addition to the domestic Chi Mei supply chain, Guangpeng's LED driver IC has also entered the Design In stage of the Korean panel maker.

The third and fourth seasons of the year set the annual plan for the panel makers, and it is also the peak period for the introduction of design. Since all budgets will be finalized at this time, in order to win orders for the coming year, domestic and foreign LED driver IC manufacturers are all competing for each other. Intensive samples are sent to panel customers before the third and fourth seasons each year to ensure that the third and fourth season products of the coming year can enter the imported design. Xu Pingyu believes that in the fierce competition in the side-light LED TV market, in order to be able to reduce the price while at the same time taking into account the gross profit margin, panel makers should give priority to the purchase of cost-effective solutions, so that foreign businessmen gradually Without competitiveness, Taiwanese companies can gradually erode the market share of existing LED TV driver ICs. In order to consolidate the existing sites, the Tuyang factory is in a fierce battle.

After Europe, North America, and Japan, the demand for LED TV market in China is fermenting, focusing on the potential of China's mainland, and the LED TV brand in mainland China is still highly dependent on Taiwan's panel suppliers. Therefore, LED driver ICs are Competing through the alliance with power modules and foundries, the card market in mainland China LED TV business opportunities.

Pull the power module / OEM factory LED driver IC to land in mainland China

Ye Jinlai, general manager of Arthur Wright, believes that because the current LED TV power supply and LED driver IC architecture are not yet unified, the proportion of LED TV customization is relatively high.

Ye Jin, general manager of Arthur Wright, revealed that China is about to replace North America as the largest market for LED TVs, so it has become the main market for the company's large-scale layout. Recently, the company's LED driver IC has successfully entered the LED TV brand in mainland China. Import design time.

LED driver ICs at home and abroad mainly supply the supply of global LED TV brand manufacturers such as Vizio, Samsung, LG, Philips, Chi Mei and TECO through foundries, power modules and panel suppliers. chain. Xu Pingyu, senior manager of Guangpeng Product Planning, does not say that compared with backlight module manufacturers, foundries, power modules and panel makers are the manufacturers who really have the right to decide the LED TV backlight strips, so they are locked by LED driver IC suppliers. targeted clients.

Ye Jinxiang pointed out that among the three major customers of Arthur Wright's foundry, power module and panel manufacturer, the foundry has the highest proportion, and in order to win the favor of customers, the company provides a complete solution for LED driver ICs, allowing the foundry to Simplify the manufacturing process and get your product to market quickly. By working with foundries, Arthur Wright provides the Scaler Board with the foundry, and with the Arthur Wright LED driver IC and DC-DC converters to provide integration. A complete solution for backlights, system power supplies, TV mains and panel power supplies.

In view of the increasing demand for panel panels in mainland China, Guangpeng has tried to extend its operating map to mainland China by virtue of its close relationship with power module operators. Xu Yuping said that the company has successfully entered China. In the supply chain of mainland LED TV brand manufacturers, there are already products shipped, and some are designed to be imported.

In the face of Taiwan's LED driver IC industry, foreign semiconductor manufacturers will be threatened in the market position of LED TV, so it will be closer to Samsung, LG, Sony, Panasonic and Sharp's top five TV brands. Relationships, in which the Korean manufacturers have become the target of locking because of the relatively closed supply chain of Japanese manufacturers.

Investment in "Han" is good LED driver IC strong low price / power saving

Samsung's edge-lit LED TV set off a sales boom, attracting major LCD TV brand factories to follow suit. Samsung and LG's shipments have reached about one-third of the global LCD TVs, and will become the target of LED driver ICs. The important customer base, LED driver IC industry will focus on low-price, low-power solutions, in order to win orders from the Korean LED TV brand.

Wang Jiayu, project manager of STMicroelectronics' analog and sensing component technology marketing department, said that ST's main customer base is locking power modules and foundries.

Wang Jiayu (Fig. 6), project manager of STMicroelectronics (ST) simulation and sensing component technology marketing department, said that in order to accelerate the expansion of LED TV market penetration, optimistic side-light solutions will be the trend of the times, so the Korean LED TV brand leader and Instead of requiring the contrast of the TV screen, it pays more attention to manufacturing cost, appearance thickness and energy saving advantages.

Even though LED driver ICs account for only a small proportion of LED TV backlight modules, Wang Jiayu pointed out that with the focus on the LED TV market in 2011, the price competitiveness of LED driver ICs has been regarded as the key to the success of the market. In the stage, with the 16-channel side-lit LED driver IC solution, the price of a single LED driver IC is only 0.8~0.9 US dollars, and the price will continue to fall.

In view of the maturity of LED TV, the market will be difficult to avoid price competition. Wang Jiayu does not say that compared with foreign LED driver ICs, the cost advantage of Taiwanese enterprises will be more prominent at this time, especially in the foundry 60 volt high voltage. After the process is completed one by one, the advantages of foreign companies in the high-pressure process will gradually disappear, and the market share of foreign semiconductor companies will be accelerated. Under the high cost performance of the domestic LED driver IC manufacturers, it has quickly divided up the original order of STMicroelectronics in Samsung LED TV up to 80%.

In order to strengthen its market position, foreign businessmen must change their market strategy. Wang Jiayu stressed that STMicroelectronics will focus more on developing high-voltage and high-current LED driver IC solutions to differentiate them from Taiwanese products.

On the other hand, in order to strengthen the energy-saving characteristics of LED TVs, Wang Jiayu mentioned that Samsung and Lejin Korean panel manufacturers tend to adopt 120-mAh medium-power LED driver ICs, and the LED driver IC solutions developed by STMicroelectronics all have power-saving modes. Optimize performance under low load conditions.

Not only the price-performance contest, in order to win more customer orders, domestic and foreign semiconductors are more speed than Wang Jiayu said frankly, compared with foreign chip makers, Taiwan LED driver IC manufacturers have a fast time to market, consider sending samples to customers at least 3 In the test period of more than one month, early delivery will be more conducive to grab the market opportunity.

With the LED TV competition entering the heat, the LED driver IC market warfare has continued to heat up. It is obvious that under the advantages of Taiwanese LED driver IC cost-effective and rapid product launch, foreign semiconductor manufacturers have already felt threatened, in addition to highlighting its technology. In addition to the differentiation between Taiwan and Taiwan, foreign LED driver ICs are working hard to strengthen the competitiveness of prices and products, so that these two elements will also be the indicators for the growth and decline of LED driver ICs at home and abroad. In fact, Taiwanese companies are not fuel-efficient lamps. In recent years, LED driver IC technology applied to LED TV has gained a lot, and its strength is different from that of foreign semiconductor companies. In addition, it is worth noting that in view of the fact that the big industry in the industry has formed a situation, how can small factories break through the competition, kill a bloody road, or become a fate of being bought or eliminated by the market. To be followed up.