Optoelectronics shows kick off

This article was published by the Taiwan Headlines on June 14, 2006. It features Taiwan's Photonics Festival, which will take place at the Taipei World Trade Center from June 14 to 17, 2006. The show is composed of five optoelectronics shows, which are Opto Taiwan, OptCom Taiwan, LED Lighting Taiwan, Optics Taiwan, and FPD Taiwan 2006.

Among the five shows, the first four are organized by Taiwan's Photonic Industry and Technology Development Association (PIDA). The last show, FPD Taiwan 2006, is co-organized by the PIDA in Taiwan and the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) of the United States.

In general, at the Photonics Festival, a total of 527 suppliers will demonstrate their latest products and technologies at 1,314 booths. The five shows together are expected to attract more than 25,000 professional buyers from around the world.

According to this article, Taiwanese and international heavyweight organizations that will attend the Taiwan Photonics Festival include Philips, Osram, GE, Seoul Semiconductor, 3M, AKT, Corning, Fujifilm, Hitachi, Nikon, Orbotech, Shibaura, AU Optronics, Chi Mei Optoelectronics, Chunghwa Picture Tubes, Toppoly Optoelectronics, Lite-On Technology, Everlight Electronics, and Formosa Epitaxy.

According to the Photonic Industry and Technology Development Association, the revenue of Taiwan's optoelectronics industry is likely to reach NT$1.3 trillion (US$40.6 billion) in 2006, a considerable increase from NT$1 trillion (US$31.2 billion) from 2005. Specifically, Taiwan's optoelectronics industry is expected to account for 17 percent of the worldwide industry as a whole.

More significantly, the optoelectronics industry is estimated to generate worldwide revenue of US$243 billion through 2006, up 10 percent from 2005.

According to the Photonic Industry and Technology Development Association, in recent years, Taiwan's LED-packaging, super twisted nematic (STN) panel, thin-film transistor (TFT) liquid-crystal display panel, digital camera, optical-disc drive, and OLED industrial segments have all leaped into the top-three rankings of the industries worldwide. For example, in 2005, Taiwan's flat-panel display industry generated revenue that totaled US$22.5 billion, up 28 percent from the figure in 2004. The flat-panel display industry mainly produces TN/STN/TFT-LCD panels, plasma display panels (PDPs), organic light emitting diode (OLED) panels, and projectors. However, TFT-LCD production was the major contributor of the increased revenue, bringing in about US$20 billion in 2005. This figure represented about 36 percent of the flat-panel display industry's total revenue.

According to the Photonic Industry and Technology Development Association, Taiwan's flat-panel display industry is likely to grow 20 percent, to US$27 billion, in 2006. TFT-LCD production is expected to represent US$24.7 billion. Furthermore, the revenue of Taiwan's flat-panel display industry is likely to increase to US$33.8 billion in 2008, with the TFT-LCD segment gaining US$31.9 billion.