Sony to own one-third of Sharp’s LCD plant
Sony said it would take a one-third stake in Sharp’s $3.5 billion LCD panel plant set for completion by March 2010, in an effort to meet fast-growing demand for flat televisions. The move is the latest in a wave of alliances among Japanese flat TV makers as they try to secure enough panels while keeping initial investments in check to fight steep price declines.
Sharp, which offers Aquos LCD TVs, plans to turn the liquid crystal display factory, which would be the world’s largest, into a joint venture, with the Osaka-based company owning 66 percent and Sony taking the remainder. Besides LCD panels, the joint venture will also produce LCD modules, which are display panels equipped with components such as a backlight unit and LCD driver chips. Sony and Sharp are the world’s second- and third-largest LCD TV makers, behind South Korea’s Samsung Electronics.
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