The barrier films flexible electronics industry has segmented into several product classifications, by product type (ophthalmic, flexible electronics, photovoltaic/piezo electric, others), by applications (electronic garments, personal protective equipment, security systems, military electronics, toys & children's electronics, others). The barriers are also segmented into two further categories: conductors and interfaces. Interfaces refer to the types of contacts used to interface with the electronic devices while conductors refer to the materials which provide the conductance. Other segments include nanotechnology, optoelectronics and electronics.
As expected, the market penetration of the barrier films flexible electronics sector is on the rise, but surprisingly, not in line with the predicted size of the global markets. This gap in penetration is due to several reasons. First, the marketing strategy adopted by the companies is still evolving. As new applications and technologies are being discovered and developed, the barrier films could find better application in the market, but this is yet to be determined. While some companies are developing their own brands and distributing their products globally, there are others who are outfitting distribution networks abroad, or are looking at joint venture partnerships with other companies that are already established.
The growth of the market size for the flexible electronic devices in the Asian region could be determined from the above factors. Asian countries such as China and Taiwan have a huge share of the global sales of barrier film. While there is still a lot of scope for the market to expand globally, the above factors are indicating that the growth of the market size for the flexible electronic devices is slowing down. It is expected that the forecast period for the growth of the global sales for the barrier film is between 2021.
Upcoming demand of Flexible display
The demand for flexible display was so high that the industry was flooded with overseas manufacturers. However, competition has been stiff and has resulted in price wars and resultant discounts. The demand for the electronics industry in Asia is on the rise as it gives global manufacturers a tough time gaining market share. Right now, China is leading the way when it comes to electronics manufacturing. Some of the biggest players in the electronics industry right now are Nintendo, LG, Samsung, and Whirlpool. All these companies have factories that are set up in South Korea and Taiwan.
The demand for the flexible display will be high in the coming years. Due to the rising wealth of south east Asian countries, there will be a demand for the high end electronic gadgets and appliances. The growth of the segmented market in the north America will be quite high. There are many big players that are already established in this segment.
The global market is also quite volatile at the moment. With the G7 crisis, the global market is not doing too well. The economy of Japan is showing some signs of improvement but the euro is going through a weak economic patch and it is not benefiting any of the countries in the west in particular.
When it comes to the photovoltaic industry, Japan has been making quite a few mistakes. In fact, they have actually been quite open to the innovation and have tried a few solar products that are quite innovative in the global market. These mistakes however, have not affected the sales in Japan. On the other hand, the sales in the US and the euro have dropped. This is because in the past the Japanese were considered to be some of the biggest innovators in the photovoltaic sector but the recent downturn in the economy has led them to fall from their high perch.
It would appear that when it comes to innovation and creation of new products, Japan is definitely lagging behind the rest of the world. They have created new solar products, solar hot water panels, efficient LED lights and advanced photovoltaic systems to name just a few. The advantage of having flexible sales in Japan would seem to be their pricing as opposed to those in America. At the time of writing, the average selling price of flexible sales in Japan is around 20% less than in the USA. This means that businesses in Japan would have the opportunity to sell their products cheaper than anywhere else in the world.