After carrying out its capacity expansion plans, major Chinese display maker BOE is reported to share the information about two of its new OLED production lines to Apple in order to win orders from the latter. BOE will be manufacturing both flexible and foldable OLED displays in the new plants, reported Apple Insider.
BOE is building up two new OLED production lines, B11 and B12, exclusively for Apple. The Chinese firm is pouring an investment of USD 7.04 billion into the construction of its B11 line, while B12 line is currently in an investment process, according to an article from Patently Apple.
B11 line is located in Sichuan province, together with another BOE line B7. B12 line will be possibly built in Chongqing. The company has also reportedly started ordering equipment for front-end process earlier in June.
BOE seems to have presented its plans about the two lines to Apple. Its executives lately visited the iPhone maker with the plans in hope to earn a contract to contribute to the production of future iPhones, including a foldable model recently illustrated in Apple’s patents.
In the plans, 70% of B11’s capacity will be manufacturing flexible OLED panels and 30% foldable ones. For B12, BOE is planning 50/50.
BOE’s first Gen6 flexible OLED line has put into mass production last month. It claimed to hold the world's most advanced evaporation technology and thin film encapsulation technology, making it possible for the display panels to be curved, bendable and foldable.
At the ceremony demonstrating the mass production, the company also announced another Gen6 OLED plant in Mianyang would be put into operation in 2019.
Whether it would become Apple’s second OLED supplier is still unknown; however, BOE will have to ensure its products meet Apple’s stringent requirements before that happens. LG display is also competing for the position. The Korean company seems to have a closer relationship with Apple for now as more news is unveiling the collaboration between the two.
According to a recent research from Witsview, a division of the global research company TrendForce, more than 30% of smartphones shipped worldwide next year will carry OLED displays. In particular, Apple intends to roll out 5.8- and 6.5-inch OLED iPhones in 2018 and to change all its future iPhones into OLED phones afterwards.
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