Samsung Electronics plans to invest US$2.2 billion in a new LCD production line at a factory it originally opened with Sony — but Sony will not be investing in the new line, Samsung said.
This line is slated to begin production in the third quarter of next year, enabling the company to produce display panels 50-inches and larger for LCD TVs (liquid crystal display televisions).
Sony and Samsung are already making panels for LCD TVs on the factory’s first production line, which is part of their joint venture, S-LCD Corp. The line cost US$1.9 billion to build and is expected to reach maximum output of 50,000 display panels per month by the end of this year.
The second production line Samsung plans to build will also have a monthly capacity of 60,000 panels. Samsung did not say why it was investing in the line without Sony, and Sony couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
The company already has the technology to build an 11th generation LCD factory, but it will wait until market conditions are right before starting such a project, Kim said. Such a factory would be able to make screens for LCD TVs of 70 inches and larger.
