The open cells used in TV sets, constitute nearly 65 per cent of a TV set. These are majorly used in LCD TVs
Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA) has pointed out that the government of India is going to reimpose five per cent customs duty on open-cell panels used in televisions starting next month onward.
However, the price hike might not be greater than Rs 250 per TV set, depending on the size of TV. On a average, open cells for a 32-inch LCD TV is imported at a price of Rs Rs 2700 for a 32 inch, while the cost is about Rs 4000 to Rs 4500 for a 42-inch TV set.
India television market, as per a report by TechSci research is projected to surpass $ 13 billion by 2023. Growth in the market is led by rising demand from increasing number of independent households as well as commercial and hospitality sectors.
Declining demand for LCD panels
Due to declining demand for LCD panels, Samsung had already started transitioning to advanced panels named Quantum-Dot Displays. A report published by Reuters had pointed out that the Korea-based electronics giant will stop manufacturing LCD by the end of 2020.
The company had already suspended operations at one of its LCD manufacturing lines. Samsung Display has two LCD production lines located in Korea. The company has cited falling demand for LCDs as a reason behind the same.
Back in October 2019, the company had informed about investing 13.1 trillion Won (approx $10.72 billion) in facilities and research to upgrade the production line. Supplier of LCD panels to many, including Apple Inc, Samsung has been struggling with oversupply amid weak global demand.
The company is also exploring manufacturing capabilities in the folding-glass arena. The company retails two folding smartphone models in many markets currently. It is also a supplier of display panels for smartphones to many brands. Interestingly, glass is a critical part of the display panels.
Samsung’s mobile division has already met with some manufacturers of foldable-glass. Samsung used to source ultra-thin glass from Dowoo Insys. It is also to be noted here that the Korea-based company had acquired a share in Dowoo Insys in 2019.
