Sharp Corp, Japan's largest maker of liquid-crystal displays and mobile phones, will double production of large-sized LCD screens next month, two months ahead of schedule, to meet demand for its Aquos flat-panel televisions.
The new line at the Kameyama factory in central Japan will double Sharp's large-screen output to 30,000 glass substrates a month, the Osaka-based company said yesterday. The glass plates can each make eight 40-inch panels or six 50-inch screens.
President Katsuhiko Machida is extending Sharp's lead as the biggest profit generator in the US$44 billion global LCD market by producing larger, high-definition screens more efficiently than rivals. The company in October raised its annual sales forecast for LCD panels to ¥1.03 trillion (US$8.7 billion) from a previous projection for ¥980 billion.
Sharp began production at Kameyama in August, becoming the first company to operate a so-called eighth-generation line that makes the large screens. Suwon, South Korea-based Samsung Electronics Co, the world's largest maker of LCD panels, plans to begin production at its eighth-generation plant during the second half of next year.
Sharp, ranked by researcher DisplaySearch below Royal Philips Electronics NV and Samsung in global LCD TV sales, is focusing on gaining market share overseas. The company is doubling its advertising budget to promote its Aquos TV sets in markets outside of Japan, the company said in September.
Sharp gets about 22 percent of sales from LCD panels, and about 40 percent from the division that makes the LCD TVs and mobile phones.
AIR DEFENSE: The Norwegian missile system has proved highly effective in Ukraine in its war against Russia, and the US has recommended it for Taiwan, an expert said The Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) Taiwan ordered from the US would be installed in strategically important positions in Taipei and New Taipei City to guard the region, the Ministry of National Defense said in statement yesterday. The air defense system would be deployed in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山) and New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水), the ministry said, adding that the systems could be delivered as soon as the end of this year. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency has previously said that three NASAMS would be sold to Taiwan. The weapons are part of the 17th US arms sale to
SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS: The suspects formed spy networks and paramilitary groups to kill government officials during a possible Chinese invasion, prosecutors said Prosecutors have indicted seven retired military officers, members of the Rehabilitation Alliance Party, for allegedly obtaining funds from China, and forming paramilitary groups and assassination squads in Taiwan to collaborate with Chinese troops in a possible war. The suspects contravened the National Security Act (國家安全法) by taking photos and drawing maps of key radar stations, missile installations and the American Institute in Taiwan’s headquarters in Taipei, prosecutors said. They allegedly prepared to collaborate with China during a possible invasion of Taiwan, prosecutors said. Retired military officer Chu Hung-i (屈宏義), 62, a Republic of China Army Academy graduate, went to China
INSURRECTION: The NSB said it found evidence the CCP was seeking snipers in Taiwan to target members of the military and foreign organizations in the event of an invasion The number of Chinese spies prosecuted in Taiwan has grown threefold over a four-year period, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said in a report released yesterday. In 2021 and 2022, 16 and 10 spies were prosecuted respectively, but that number grew to 64 last year, it said, adding that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was working with gangs in Taiwan to develop a network of armed spies. Spies in Taiwan have on behalf of the CCP used a variety of channels and methods to infiltrate all sectors of the country, and recruited Taiwanese to cooperate in developing organizations and obtaining sensitive information
REGIONAL PEACE: The US is supporting Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities by providing the nation with defensive arms and services, as it aims to maintain cross-strait stability The US on Friday reiterated its support for Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities in a statement affirming its commitment to the Indo-Pacific region. The White House said that Washington has supported Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities through a range of security assistance authorities and resources, including the first-ever use of Foreign Military Financing (FMF) and Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) for Taiwan, as well as International Military Education and Training (IMET). US President Joe Biden had identified the Indo-Pacific as the critical region for the future of the US and the world, it said. “In pursuit of regional peace, security and stability, we have reinvested in our defense
RSS