COVID-19 Impact on Transparent Conductive Films in Chemicals and Materials Industry
Transparent conductive films are thin optically transparent and electrically conductive films, which are often found in Smartphones, DSSCS, Tablets, Notebooks, PCs, and others. ITO on Pet, ITO on glass, metal mesh, silver nanowires, among other raw materials used in manufacturing plants to make a transparent conductive film. It is fully transparent and heat resistant, has excellent chemical inertness and is used in a wide variety of end uses products. However, due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, most industrial plants have been shut down, and transparent conductive film product demand has been negatively impacted, affecting production facilities for many months and disintegrating the global supply chain.
AFTERMATH OF COVID-19 AND GOVERNMENT INITIATIVE TO BOOST THE GLOBAL TRANSPARENT CONDUCTIVE FILMS MARKET
The government has taken many steps to ensure the availability of raw materials by keeping track of the supply and demand of the intermediate products since they are used to make the final product that reaches the consumers. Alongside, the government is also taking action such as providing subsidies for raw materials, supporting the domestic producers with short-term loans, among others, to assist SMEs (small and medium enterprises) and local manufacturers engaged in the production of transparent conductive films.
STRATEGIC DECISIONS FOR MANUFACTURERS AFTER COVID-19 TO GAIN COMPETITIVE MARKET SHARE
The manufacturing sector was one of the most damaged by COVID-19. Several steps have been taken to increase international cooperation among the countries to promote investments and improve the ease of doing business inside the nations. New and existing projects have been given a kick start by inviting technological innovations supported by the government. Also, the government has given financial support to local producers and SMEs and helped them provide subsidized and discounted raw materials.
IMPACT ON PRICE
The demand for transparent conductive films has seen a severe downfall since 2020, due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in the fluctuation of the prices for these products. As local producers and SMEs have been majorly affected due to this pandemic, the local demand couldn’t be catered up to the meet, thereby forcing the price to drop, affecting the total transparent conductive films market. Also, the availability of items in large quantities creates a large stock, which drives the price to decline, consequently affecting the broader market.
IMPACT ON DEMAND
The major sector of the transparent conductive films market is Smartphones, DSSCS, Tablets, Notebooks, PCs, TV Displays, OLED Lighting, OPV, Wearable Devices since a major part of the demand for transparent conductive films comes from this particular unit. Furthermore, the disposable income of the consumers also experienced a sharp fall which in turn restricted the demand for these goods, hence creating uncertainties in the overall transparent conductive films market.
IMPACT ON SUPPLY CHAIN
The global coronavirus pandemic has put the contemporary global supply chain to the test like never before. It had a global impact, causing many fractures in numerous supply chains such as at component suppliers, production locations, and customers' last mile. It is difficult, if not impossible, for businesses to maintain efficient supply while having redundancy across all of their processes.
The supply chain also suffered due to the emigration of migrant workers and ban on interstate travel. It also increased operating costs because commodity prices (raw materials for the construction industry) are scarce. In this situation, both manufacturers and consumers are facing issues with the timely availability of raw materials.
CONCLUSION
Transparent conductive films are widely utilized in smartphones, DSSCS, tablets, notebooks, PCS, TV displays, OLED lighting, and others. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused substantial obstacles to global supply chains. The demand for transparent conductive films has declined in many regions/countries due to shut down in electronic manufacturing. Repeated nationwide curfews and shutdowns continue to hamper or even halt the movement of raw materials and completed goods, causing manufacturers to suffer. However, simultaneously, the government of every country is taking various measures and actions to overcome the effects of the pandemic.
