Kenwood is delaying some of its 2019 AV/receivers due to the bankruptcy of a key LCD panel supplier in Taiwan.
Similarly, Alpine said it has delayed the shipment of one of its car radios until summer for the same reason.
As we reported, LCD manufacturer Chunghwa Picture Tubes, CPT, filed for reorganization in December. It supplies car radio screens to brands including Pioneer, Kenwood, JVC, Alpine, Sony and others, said industry members. CPT is currently shipping in limited quantities.
As a result, several car audio companies expect delayed shipments, as they switch to new suppliers.
Kenwood is delaying shipments until June on a half dozen car radios with 7-inch screens including several DMX mechless radios. The decks were originally expected to ship by the end of March.
Alpine said one of its Restyle Jeep-specific radios, the i209-WRA-JL, has been delayed. The radio, with a 9-inch screen, was originally due to ship in January and is now expected this summer.
To help compensate for the delays, Kenwood told its dealers it will accelerate the launch of the DNX696S, DNX575 and DNR476S to March (from April). It is also increasing supplies of the DDX9906XR and DNX996XR, scheduled for March.
Sony reported no delays in radio shipments. Pioneer had no comment on CPT or shipments.
CPT is one of the top 3 or 4 LCD panel suppliers to the car audio industry, and it is a large supplier to smartphone, tablet and PC makers including Samsung and Sony. There are several alternative suppliers to CPT including HannStar, based in Taiwan and BOA Technology, based in Denver, CO.
Delayed Kenwood models include:
eXcelon
DDX8906S
DMX906
DMX706
Kenwood
DNX875S
DDX8706S
DMX9706S
