Polarizer is the "chip" of the optical industry. It is not only one of the most important materials for manufacturing LCD panels, accounting for about 10% of the cost of LCD panels, but it is also one of the most difficult areas to localize LCD panel technology in my country, which has mainly relied on imports for many years. Previously, domestic polarizer products were mainly concentrated in the mid- to low-end fields and had a small market share.
With the rapid development and expansion of display panels and terminal products in mainland China, the demand for polarizers is gradually shifting to mainland China, and the localization of polarizers is imperative. It is predicted that by 2026, the market demand for polarizers in mainland China will account for 80% of the global polarizer market.
The Shanjin Zhangjiagang project that was put into production this time started in March 2021. The products meet various optical indicators and successfully break through the barriers of the core technology of the ultra-wide production line, laying a solid foundation for the R&D and manufacturing of domestic high-end polarizers, while ensuring market competitiveness in terms of quality and cost. After the project reaches full production, Shanjin Zhangjiagang will have an annual output of 50 million square meters of polarizers, accounting for approximately 8% of the global market share.
"The commissioning of the project has laid a solid foundation for the growth and development of the polarizer industry of Shanjin Optoelectronics, as well as the R&D and manufacturing of domestic high-end polarizers." Zheng Ju, chairman of Shanshan Co., Ltd., said at the commissioning ceremony that Shanjin Optoelectronics will give full play to its leading advantages in the new display material industry, cooperate with upstream and downstream powerful alliances, strengthen the chain, and extend the layout to upstream polarizer materials, surface treatment technology and other fields through mergers and acquisitions and cooperation, and make up for the shortcomings of the domestic polarizer industry chain. It is expected that by 2026, Shanjin Optoelectronics' production capacity will exceed 300 million square meters, and its global market share will exceed 50%.
A reporter from Science and Technology Daily learned that with the substantial increase in China's polarizer industry share, the localization of polarizer raw materials is also accelerating. At present, Shanjin Optoelectronics is the first company in the industry to introduce low moisture permeability materials such as PET, Acryl and COP for polarizer manufacturing, and actively promotes the localization certification of raw materials such as release films, protective films, and conductive agents.
With the support of production capacity and technology, the trend of domestic polarizers entering the high-end application market has become increasingly obvious. In 2022, Shanjin Optoelectronics will produce a variety of ultra-thin, high-transmission small and medium-sized high-end polarizer products, and successfully enter the high refresh rate gaming laptop market, breaking the monopoly of foreign manufacturers in this field. The advancement of ultra-thin polarizer technology has expanded product applications from IT to flexible screens, foldable mobile phones, etc. In the fields of VR/AR, automotive, OLED and other fields, Shanjin Optoelectronics has also secured patented technologies, accelerated the mass production of related products, and continuously achieved breakthroughs in production processes, materials, product performance and applications.
The world’s first polarizer industry blue book was also released to the public on the same day. The "Display Industry Polarizer Blue Book" (2022), compiled by many manufacturers in the polarizer industry, predicts that global demand for display polarizers will grow to approximately 415 million square meters in 2025, an increase of approximately 20% from 2021. The main growth driver is the Chinese market. In addition, the width of polarizer determines production capacity and cutting efficiency, and wide-width production lines are the future trend.
ANNA