Screen glass maker expects rapid mobile market growth

Biel Crystal (HK) Manufactory Ltd, the world’s largest producer of screen glass for smartphones, expects a new round of rapid growth for the industry over 2017-19, spurred by the “trend-setting” new design of the iPhone 8.

The new generation of iPhones will be launched in September as the Apple handset celebrates its 10th anniversary and is set to be a “huge difference” from the iPhone 7, establishing a new trend for smartphone screen design, Biel President Yeung Kin-man, told China Daily in an exclusive interview.

“The peak of market demand for outer screen glass, following the new trend, will come in 2018,” Yeung predicted, aiming to increase Biel’s annual output value to HK$50 billion ($6.4 billion) by then, almost doubling the current scale.

Based in Huizhou, Guangdong province, Biel produces high-end outer screen glass for Apple and Samsung smartphones as well as products for some domestic smartphone makers.

It provides between 40 percent and 50 percent of the outer screen glass for smartphones in the global market, according to Yeung.

The peak of market demand for outer screen glass, following the new trend, will come in 2018.” Yeung Kin-man, president of Biel Crystal (HK) Manufactory Ltd Biel’s targeted annual output value by 2018

Biel is also a world-leading producer of glass panels for watches of both luxury collections like Rolex and smart gadgets like Apple’s iWatch.

But the company’s ambitious growth in its output value will mainly come from its smartphone business, which is expected to contribute between 60 percent and 70 percent of the HK$50 billion output value in 2018, Yeung said.

“Apple, Samsung and domestic smartphone makers like Huawei have all been making great efforts upgrading screen designs with new technologies such as flexible displays and fingerprint