Micro speakers become more environment-friendly, miniature, multifunction

Makers are keen to maintain China’s global market lead. The country iscurrently the largest manufacturing base for this line, followed only by Japan. It represented 46 percent of the worldwide output of 1.53 billion units in 2009, a figure that is expected to increase further in coming years.

Much of the growth is driven by the robust mobile phone, flat-panel TV and laptop sectors in mainland China, which serve as a ready market for micro speakers. As these electronic devices become slimmer, makers are looking to develop more environment-friendly, miniature, multifunction, and high fidelity yet low-power models.

The shift of production to the mainland, however, is tightening competition and thinning profit margins. For instance, over 90 percent of acoustic component suppliers in Taiwan have transferred manufacture to the former. Half of them opened factories in Guangdong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. The resultant expansion in the maker pool has forced some small players to leave the line. Local operations generally cater to the entry-level and midrange markets, while Taiwan and foreign-invested enterprises concentrate on the high end.

The mainland’s output of electroacoustic components totaled about 12.8 billion units in 2009, valued at $9 billion. Manufacturers forecast at least 10 percent growth this year. Suppliers ship their micro speakers to more than 100 countries and regions, with the US as the main destination.