Possible problems in the supply of glass, caused by the earthquake in Japan in August, were reported by Corning from its Shizouka facility, according to iSuppli Corp, a major market research company. All other Corning LCD glass facilities continued to operate normally, and Corning is expected to restore its facility in Japan to full production within a few months. iSupply also said there had been an oversupply of LCD glass since Q3 2008, with 13% excess in Q4, but that conditions changed considerably in the first quarter of 2009 when panel makers stopped many lines in response to reduced demand. Fortunately for the global large-sized LCD panel industry, the Corning supply disruption comes at a time when most of the idled glass tanks globally are starting to come back to full production mode, which will help reduce the total impact on LCD panel supply.
