LCD MARKET OVERVIEW
The explosive growth of the notebook computer LCD market has
caused major changes in the supply channels for the lower resolution character and small
graphics LCD modules.
Many of the large Japanese and Korean LCD manufacturers that
developed the industry standard models and established the market for character and small
graphics modules have now shifted their focus to the very high volume notebook LCD market.
Even when character and small graphics modules are still available from these Japanese and
Korean manufacturers, generally leadtimes are long and prices are high.
Replacing these large Japanese and Korean LCD manufacturers in
the marketplace are a number of small and relatively unknown companies with factories in
Taiwan, China, Malaysia and elsewhere in the Far East. Adding to the confusion are the
differences in the operations of these companies and in their sales channels.
There are three different types of companies supplying character
and small graphics LCD modules to the North American market:
 | Vertically integrated manufacturers such as Nan Ya Plastics which manufacture
their own LCD panels, PCBs and modules |
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| Module assembly houses which purchase all of the module components and simply
assemble the finished module |
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| Private-labelers who source LCD modules from one or more factories throughout
the Far East and re-sell under their own brand-name. |
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ASK and COMPARE LCD SUPPLIERS
When making your sourcing decision, we encourage
you to learn more about your current or prospective LCD module supplier(s) and then
compare them to the team of Mark Products and Nan Ya:
- Is your supplier focused on servicing the OEM
market for character and graphics STN-LCD modules, or have they shifted their focus to the
notebook PC market?
Nan Ya produces STN-LCD modules exclusively for the industrial
OEM market. Nan Ya offers a full line of industry-standard as well as custom modules with
industry-best leadtimes and pricing.
Many of the large Japanese and Korean LCD manufacturers are no
longer interested in the character and small graphics LCD market. And their domestic sales
organizations lack the product and technical knowledge to support these products
effectively.
- Is your supplier a vertically-integrated manufacturer of LCD
modules or simply a module assembly shop which outsources all of its module components?
Nan Ya operates a state-of-the-art,
fully-automated STN-LCD panel factory which allows it to control the production of the
most critical performance element in an LCD module - the LCD panel itself.
Module assembly shops purchase their LCD panels from one or more
LCD factories without any real control over or knowledge of the display materials, process
changes, or yield and quality problems.
- Does your supplier really manufacture the LCD modules that they
offer or do they source them from different manufacturers in different countries with no
real control over product quality, performance or consistency?
For the past 18 years, Mark Products has been marketing products
exclusively from Nan Ya Plastics. All of the LCD modules which Mark Products
sells and supports are manufactured to exacting standards at Nan Ya's Taoyuan LCD factory.
These modules are marketed exclusively under the Nan Ya brand name and with
factory-assigned part numbers.
Private-label suppliers of LCD modules assign their own part
numbers to products produced by another company. However, most of these private-label
suppliers lack the engineering configuration management and quality control systems to be
able to assure the customer of consistent product configuration and performance.
- Does your supplier have the engineering staff
to support concurrent product and process development, custom design work, and product
testing and analysis?
Nan Ya has over 450 employees in their LCD division with over 70
degreed engineers and managers in the Technical Section. Most of the small LCD module
assembly houses are severely limited in design, process and quality engineering resources.
- Does your supplier have effective quality
systems to assure consistent and reliable products?
Nan Ya’s entire LCD organization is ISO-9001 certified and
controls all of its manufacturing processes using the latest statistical control methods.
Nan Ya's management team is committed to maintaining a strong and effective quality
organization.
- Does your supplier have the financial size and
strength to weather the current Asian financial crisis and to be considered as a viable
long term business partner?
Nan Ya Plastics is a $3 billion company with over 16,000
employees worldwide. Nan Ya has made a major investment in LCD technology and
manufacturing infrastructure and is committed to becoming an industry leader.
- Can your supplier’s on-shore sales
organization provide effective technical support for design-in, hardware and software
interface, and speedy resolution of quality issues?
Mark Products’ technical and management team has many years of
hands-on experience in LCD product design, manufacturing and engineering and possesses the
know-how to understand and help solve our customer’s problems quickly and to their
satisfaction.
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