DARMSTADT, Germany ― Despite the concerns that the display panel market is becoming saturated, Udo Heider, vice president of Merck’s OLED unit, predicted continued growth for the future.

“In our homes and in our general surroundings, we will see displays in many applications that we can’t even imagine,” Heider said in an interview with The Korea Herald, indicating that diversification will be the key for maintaining sustainable growth.

Already, panels are being increasingly used for cars and wearable devices.

Heider’s comments come amid reports that the display market has been hit by slowing demand for televisions, PCs and smart devices.

According to DisplaySearch, the global LCD panel market was worth just over $7 billion as of June this year, down 2 percent from the same period in 2013.

The shipments of tablet and phablet panels, however, have been rising, with those for tablets rising by the highest on-month clip in June.

The rise of display manufacturers in China and Taiwan are other reasons why experts such as Heider are led to believe the panel market is headed for more growth.

Regarding the future of organic light emitting diodes, Heider said while it coexist with liquid crystals, eventually the emphasis will be placed on OLED.

OLED, however, has yet to show significant profit performance as display makers such as LG and Samsung have yet to reap from TVs fitted with super-sized OLED screens.

On just how far the technology can go, Heider said, ‘‘Fully bendable screens are possible, but it is up to the display makers who have to bring the technology to a higher level.”

Merck currently operates an OLED manufacturing facility in Pyeongtaek of Korea. 

By Kim Ji-hyun, Korea Herald correspondent
(jemmie@heraldcorp.com)