As the global large-screen public flat-panel display (FPD) market is rebounding, with an estimated almost 30% growth expected to occur in 2015, vendors estimate their shipment proportion of large-size units to increase from 10% in 2014 to 30% in 2015.

The global large-screen public flat-panel display (FPD) market is rebounding after declines in 2012 and flat growth in 2013. According to DisplaySearch, the market is expected to grow 14% in 2014 and 27% in 2015, as economies gradually recover from the global economic downturn.

Within the market for large-screen public displays, the interactive whiteboard (IWB) sector is expanding, due to increased governmental investments in education. With the forecast growth rate of 50%, IWB shipment volume will reach approximately 650,000 units in 2015. While the primary market drivers are large government-backed education projects in China and Turkey, Japan is also rumored to begin a second tender for a major education investment.

BenQ in particular expects 30-40% overall shipment growth going into 2015 and estimates units sized 46- and 55-inch will make up the highest proportion.

Meanwhile, the flat panel display industry is expected to see 5% annual growth from 2014-2017, according to recent estimations from sources at Sharp.

From 1993-2013, the global flat panel display industry grew 20% a year, rising in value over 30 times from about US$4.1 billion to US$129 billion, the sources said.

However, the yearly growth percentage is expected to drop to 5% from 2013-2017, with the large-size panel segment expected to see 0% growth. Public displays are expected to see 10% growth while desktop displays will see 2% growth.

The small-size panel segment is expected to grow 10% during the period due to demand for tablets and smartphones. Flat panels used in digital cameras are expected to see a 57% decline while AV applications are expected to decline 50%.