Hitachi Displays Ltd announced May 12, 2008, that it will enhance the output of its small- and medium-size IPS (in-plane switching) LCD panels.
The company made this decision in response to the increasing demand for IPS LCD panels for mobile phones and digital SLR camera applications. Total investment is roughly ¥8.1 billion (US$77 million). This is an additional investment to the preceding ¥8.6 billion capital investment determined in September 2007 with the aim of fortifying its IPS LCD panel output.
As a result, the capital investment that the company spends on IPS LCD panels totals ¥16.7 billion in fiscal 2007 to 2008. On a 4G substrate basis, Hitachi Displays will increase its previous capacity of about 80,000 substrates per month in fiscal 2007 by approximately 25% to about 100,000 substrates per month by fiscal 2009, it said.
Hitachi Displays is currently reinforcing the performance of its IPS LCD panels and the output of its relevant plant in Mobara, Chiba, using the 8.6 billion capital investment decided in September 2007.
In line with the diffusion of 1seg mobile phones and the rising popularity of digital SLR cameras, demand is said to be strengthening for small and medium IPS LCD panels in addition to large panels for TV applications.
