Nanjing Panda 10G TFT-LCD Line Wins Government Approval
Sina Tech, 12/17/12
Xue Wenjin, deputy chair of the Nanjing Flat Panel Display Industry Association, revealed at a recent LED forum in Shenzhen that Nanjing Panda Electronics (600775.SH; 0553.HK) has received government approval for its 10G TFT-LCD production line plans, and is currently in talks with Sharp regarding technology partnerships.
"There are a lot of variables in the Nanjing 10G project," Xue said. While Sharp recently partnered with Qualcomm on R&D efforts for new panels with funding from Qualcomm, a possible investment in Sharp from Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry (2317.TW) is still under discussion. If Hon Hai does acquire a stake in Sharp, then the company - which already accounts for half of Sharp's 10G production capacity - may be unwilling to see a new competitor in mainland China, throwing Panda's 10G partnership with Sharp into question.
If Panda proves unable to launch a 10G production line, Xue said, the company may partner with Sharp on an 8.5G production line as a fallback. At present, Nanjing's sole 6G production line is incapable of satisfying the local panel industry's demands for growth. Whether Panda launches a 10G line or an 8.5G line, Xue said, the city of Nanjing will continue to improve its support for the industry, including bringing in upstream glass substrate projects.
Editor's note: In July 2012, Nanjing Panda announced plans to invest RMB 35 bln in China's first 10G LCD panel production line.
For more background on this topic, please see "Rumor: Sharp to Provide Technology for Nanjing 10G TFT-LCD" MD 5/05/12 issue.
Keywords: Xue Wenjin hardware display Panda Electronics production capacity Sharp TFT-LCD 0553.HK 600775.SH 10G Hon Hai 2317.TW production facility
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