Funai Brand Logo

May be you don’t know the brand of Funai, but you should know Wal-Mart. Funai is the main supplier of LCD TV and DVD players to Wal-Mart stores, under the Wal-Mart’s house brand – Durabrand. News source from Digitimes.com, start from year 2009, Funai will source all their LCD TV panels from Korea-based LG Display, Taiwan-based Chi Mei Optoelectronics (CMO) and Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT).

Durabrand Logo

Earlier this year, Funai signed a five year deal with Philips to license the Philips and Magnavox brands in the North America TV market. Indirectly, the future Philips and Magnavox brands LCD TV will manufacture by Funai, with panels from LG Display, Chi Mei Optoelectronics and Chunghwa Picture Tubes.

Funai has now settled its TV panel procurement plan for 2009, with CMO, CPT, and LG Display sharing the LCD TV panel orders. LG Display will mainly supply panels for 37-inch and larger segment, while CMO will supply panels for the 32-inch segment and possibility the 37-inch or larger segments, according to the sources. CPT will provide medium-size panels such as 19-inch or 22-inch panels. The market sources estimate that Funai will purchase about two million LCD TV panels from CMO, over 1.6 million units from CPT and about one million units from LG Display. Funai decided to purchase LCD TV panels from LG Display in 2009 due to LG Display’s historical relationship with Philips.

Source: Digitimes.com