Mar 28 2008
Corning Incorporated today hosted a grand opening ceremony for the company's new liquid crystal display (LCD) glass substrate manufacturing facility in the People's Republic of China.
The plant, located in the Beijing Economic Technological Development Area, is the company's first TFT-LCD glass production facility on the China mainland. The opening continues Corning's trend of entering an LCD-producing region as local market demand expands. Corning currently has LCD glass facilities in the U.S., Japan, Korea and Taiwan.
"Today marks the latest chapter in Corning's history of investment in China, where our businesses have responded to the varied needs of the region's many high-technology industries," said Wendell P. Weeks, chairman and chief executive officer, Corning Incorporated. "This plant reflects our commitment to grow with our customers and to support one of China's most important industries."
John P. Bayne, president, Corning Display Technologies China, hosted the grand opening celebration, together with Weeks and James P. Clappin, president, Corning Display Technologies.
"As an industry leader in TFT-LCD glass and other advanced display products, Corning is committed to providing customers with reliable supply across our global network," said Bayne. "This facility demonstrates our commitment to China and the growing TFT industry. We have added and will continue to add many people to our organization, including highly skilled technicians and engineers, as we continue to ramp operations over the coming months."
Previously, Corning stated that it expects global demand for liquid crystal display glass to grow 25% to 30% in 2008, representing an increase of more than 450 million square feet of glass to about 2.2 billion square feet by year-end. While much of that growth is driven by the demand for LCD televisions, smaller applications like LCD monitors, notebooks, and portable devices are also strong factors in overall glass demand.