Taiwan MIM market trend 2019

Taiwan's supply chain is actively expanding MIM hinge capacity, preparing for the folding screen mobile phone boom

Many Taiwanese hinge manufacturers, such as xinrixing and zhaili, have begun to aggressively expand production, particularly of MIM hinges, which are formed by metal injection molding powder and a mixture of binder into molds. The move by Taiwan hinge manufacturers is aimed at meeting potential demand for foldable smartphones in the coming years. Samsung and Huawei, the top players in the mobile phone market, have both launched fold-screen phones. After the fold-screen phone of Samsung has jumped the ticket once, it is reported that Samsung fold-screen phone may be launched in 2020. Xiaomi, vivo and OPPO are also interested in launching such devices. Mobile phone manufacturers have joined the fold screen ranks, indicating that the future folding screen mobile phone market will grow substantially, in order to drive the growth of hinge demand

1.     Taiwan is the main hinge supplier. Some industry insiders predict that about 1 million fold-screen phones will be shipped in 2019, but as more manufacturers join the group, shipments of fold-screen phones are likely to increase significantly in 2020.Industry insiders said key components of fold-screen phones, such as OLED panels, will be made mainly by Korean and Chinese manufacturers, while hinge parts will be supplied mainly by Taiwanese manufacturers, including Xinrixing, zhaoli, xinhe and Fushida. Folding screen hinge design is very complex, they usually consist of more than 60 sub-components. The hinge for the Mate X hinge, supplied by Fushida, is even more complex, with more than 100 components. The MIM process's sub-components are crucial in making hinges, as up to 50% of the sub-components are made by the MIM process.

2.Hinge manufacturer Xinrixing MIM hinge business may increase by 30%. Currently, most hinge makers' MIM products are used in a variety of electronics, such as laptop computers, charging cases for apple's new MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and AirPod. With the arrival of the fold-screen phone market, the MIM business will grow. Many Taiwanese hinge manufacturers are bullish on hinge trends. For example, sun Nikko, which already has 38 MIM batch furnaces and two continuous furnaces, expects its MIM business to grow 25 to 30 percent year-on-year in 2019.Another major hinge manufacturer is expanding its hinge production. Zhaoli technology currently operates five internal MIM batch furnaces and installed two more in January. While Zhaoli currently has enough capacity for laptop customers, the company says it may expand further if demand for fold-screen phones starts to grow. Conclusion: folding screen phone will pull hinge production. Although Samsung and Huawei have delayed the launch of fold-screen phones, fold-screen phones are still highly anticipated devices. Fold-screen phones from Samsung or Huawei will be the prelude to the launch of fold-screen phones, and major mobile phone manufacturers will also join the fold-screen array to promote the growth of fold-screen phone shipments. Following this trend, Taiwan's major hinge manufacturers are aggressively expanding hinge production in preparation for the potential demand for fold-screen phones.