Sharp Corporation, a major home appliance manufacturer in Japan, will build new state-of-the-art plants for liquid crystal display (LCD) panels and solar cells adjacent to one another in Sakai City in Osaka Prefecture, the company announced on July 31, 2007. Sharp is planning to develop a "manufacturing complex for the 21st century" by incorporating relevant infrastructure facilities and attracting material and production equipment manufacturers to set up their plants on the same premises. The construction of LCD panel and solar cell plants is scheduled to start in November 2007 and their manufacturing operations are planned to begin by March 2010.

In a world first, the LCD panel plant will efficiently produce 40-inch class, 50-inch class and 60-inch class LCD panels for large-screen TVs by using the world's largest 10th-generation glass substrates (2,850 mm x 3,050 mm). The solar cell plant will mass-produce thin-film solar cells with a planned annual production volume of about 1,000 megawatts, which is expected to maximize the mass-production effect.

As both plants are based on thin-film technologies, they can share materials and utilities. The productivity of the thin-film solar cells is expected to be boosted further by the application of liquid crystal technologies.

By incorporating relevant infrastructure facilities and inviting production equipment manufacturers to set up plants on the premises, the complex aims to reduce distribution cost and unify operations such as production schedules. This project will realize a vertically integrated business model that transcends the barriers between companies. Sharp also seeks to encourage new technological innovations through close collaboration between Sharp's engineers and material and equipment manufacturers with superior technological capabilities.


Posted: 2007/11/21 11:30:31 PM
Japanese version

TAG Energy , Manufacturing industry