BEIJING -- BOE Technology Group, China's biggest display panel maker, shipped more large LCD panels in January than any other company in the world, winning the top spot for the first time, according to a report released Monday by British research firm IHS Technology.
BOE aggressively shipped panels for products such as notebook computers, tablets and monitors, wrestling the top spot away from LG Display. The South Korean giant dropped to second overall, but remained the top shipper of panels for televisions.
BOE had 22.3% of the large-panel market in January by units shipped, according to IHS Technology. During 2016, the Chinese company's monthly share fluctuated between 17-19%.
LG Display dropped to second in January with a 21.6% share of monthly unit shipments. Its share hovered in the 21-24% range in 2016.
However, LG Display remained strong in the market for TV displays. In fact, when IHS Technology tallied shipments based on total surface area, the South Korean company remained firmly in the lead in January with a 24.8% market share compared with BOE's 13.8%.
Samsung Electronics followed a similar pattern. Its share of unit shipments declined to 9.9% after moving between 12-14% in 2016, but on a surface-area basis, it ranked second in January with a 16.1% share.
BOE could be gearing up to challenge the two South Korean companies in the market for TV display panels, according to IHS Technology principal analyst Robin Wu.
AU Optronics ranked third in January with a 16.4% share, followed by fellow Taiwanese display maker Innolux with a 15.7% share.
