LG says considering additional LCD line
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's LG Display Co Ltd said on Wednesday it was considering building an additional production line for flat-screen TV panels as the LCD industry slowly recovers due to healthy TV sales.
LG Display, the world's No. 2 maker of liquid crystal display (LCD) screens, said in a filing with the Korea Exchange that it was mulling plans to expand its "eighth-generation" production facility but added that no decision had been made.
A company spokesman previously said the board was likely to review the expansion plan later in July.
Prices of LCD panels recovered in the second quarter after a lengthy slide, and makers have been increasing output to meet demand for flat-screen TVs in developed markets and China.
Many of them are considering or already working on new production lines of various sizes.
Late-generation facilities use bigger glasses, yielding larger screens and lowering costs, but they cost more to build. Some companies feel the currently used 8G standard is enough for now.
Taiwan's AU Optronics Corp, the world's No. 3 LCD maker, said in June it was considering building a line that uses 8.5-generation technology for mass production as early as in 2011.
Japan's Sharp Corp plans to start production in October at its $3.9 billion new LCD plant, which would be the world's first to handle 10th-generation glass substrates.
Industry leader Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, which produces LCD TV panels from a joint venture with Japan's Sony Corp, had been previously reported to be considering using even larger 11th-generation glass.
(Reporting by Rhee So-eui, editing by Ken Wills)
