Recently, Sharp has been the subject of many news stories and rumors about its LCD business, and the company has tried to take control of the discussion with several announcements. The rapid-fire news emphasizes the challenges the company faces, as well as highlights the technical prowess of the last remaining top tier Japanese LCD maker. Consider the following:
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Category Archives: Equipment
Emerging Disruptions to the FPD Supply Chain
In the second week after the Japan earthquake, some additional impacts to the FPD supply chain are beginning to emerge. In the near term, some panel makers need to work with new material suppliers to keep their lines running. Longer term, there are some indications that key equipment production may be delayed.
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Foreign TFT LCD Panel Makers No Longer in a Hurry to Build Fabs in China
When the race to invest in China started among TFT LCD makers in 2009, we wondered about the rationale behind this strategy. Now that Korean and Taiwanese governments have approved their companies’ plans, and those companies have struck deals with the Chinese government and provinces, is the race slowing down?
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Impact of the Japanese Earthquake on the FPD Industry
The magnitude 9.0 earthquake centered 81 miles east of Sendai, Japan on March 11, 2011 was one of the strongest earthquakes on record. The earthquake, and particularly the tsunami which followed, took many lives and caused tremendous damage to the Tohoku (northeast) and Kanto (east) of Japan.
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Will Panel Prices Rebound in Q2’11?
Panel maker inventories and inventory in the sales pipeline are two key variables of TFT LCD supply and demand. As indicated in our recent press release, after nine months of continuous declines in panel prices , inventory adjustments, panel shipment adjustments, and order cuts, inventories held by panel makers are returning to a manageable level. As long as panel makers do not rapidly boost capacity utilization before demand makes a come-back, then the supply side should be worry-free.
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