It is predicted that by next year Samsung LED's total sales will surpass those of Nichia Co., headquartered in Japan. Similar to Samsung, Nichia also sells IT-related products including semiconductors, LEDs, and laser diodes. However, it is being predicted that Samsung's semiconductors, LCDs, and LED technology will make Korea the ideal market for these products. The industry's large scale of demands will create a perfect opportunity for Samsung to mass produce and invest. During this period, Samsung will once again rise and show that they are a powerhouse in the global IT industry.
To catch up with the constantly changing industry, Samsung LED (President Kim Jeh-ook) will carefully analyze next year's sales to the best of their ability. On December 6, 2009, Samsung LED planned to increase their current W1.50 trillion (US$1.25 billion) investment into a W2 trillion (US$1.7 billion) investment. Samsung's sales this year was estimated to be about W600-650 billion (US$520 million). In a matter of a year, they set a goal to quadruple their sales. To do this, they will invest a large scale in the Metal-Organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOCVD). Until now, there have been about 70 established MOCVD's available, but now they are planning to increase the number to 100-150. The company already has 2 and 4 inch epiwafers available, but is planning to release their newest 6 inch epiwafer. Some people believe that Samsung's epiwafer MOCVD and R&D have better quality than Nichia's.
Another reason why Samsung LED can reach their goal is the success of LED Backlight units and LCD televisions. By next year, Samsung's production scale of LED TV's is set at 7 million. The success of these products will help Samsung surpass Nichia by next year. Nichia's scale financially is at about W2 trillion won (US$1.67 billion). If Samsung LED achieves their sales goal of W2 trillion (US$1.67 billion) by next year, it will be record-breaking.
An interested person in the IT industry stated, "It is a fact that Samsung Electronics has a strong demand because many of their products meet the standards of their customers. However, Samsung LED must not miss the current trends or they will waste a golden opportunity. The results of this competition will be quite interesting and will be worth our attention."
