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01 Dec 2002
Toshiba-Matsushita venture a major boost for advanced display sector
Singapore marked the birth of its new advanced display manufacturing sector, with the opening of AFPD's $1.8 billion liquid crystal display (LCD) facility in November.
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At the launch of AFPD were (from left) Mr Hidetsugu Otsuru of Matsushita, Mr Tadashi Okamura of Toshiba, BG Yeo, Japanese Ambassador Mr Kunihiko Makita and Mr Toshiaki Fujii of AFPD.
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The plant is the first thin-film transistor (TFT) LCD factory in South East Asia and the world's largest production plant for low-temperature polysilicon thin-film transistor LCD, used for thin-profile television sets and portable personal computers. It is also the first facility to open in Singapore's Advanced Display Park.
AFPD - short for Advanced Flat Panel Display - is a subsidiary of Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology Co., which is 60 per cent owned by Toshiba Corporation and 40 per cent by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Mr Yasusuke Sumitomo, President and CEO of Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology Co., Ltd, said: "Excellent support provided by the Singapore government and the superb infrastructure of this country allowed us to start this significant venture smoothly." Mr Toshiaki Fujii, Managing Director of AFPD, added: "Singapore was chosen as the home for AFPD on the strengths of its excellent infrastructure, skilled workforce and strong support industries. This choice has already been justified by the fact that ramping up of this advanced display device facility is proceeding as scheduled."
The facility was completed in February 2002, with manufacturing ramped up in August. Its current production capacity is 30,000 730 mm x 920 mm glass substrates a month, which will increase to 55,000 sheets a month within the first two years. This will make AFPD the world's largest single source of low temperature polysilicon TFT LCDs, which offer significantly brighter, clearer images and a smaller packaging profile than conventional TFT LCD screens. Staff will increase from the current 500 employees to over 700 by next March.
At the opening, Trade and Industry Minister BG George Yeo identified advanced displays as a new growth cluster in which Singapore can aspire to global leadership. The global LCD market is currently worth US$35 billion, and is expected to grow at 17 per cent annually. Singapore is also keen to attract investments in plasma display panels, field emission devices, and organic light-emitting devices.
BG Yeo said the 35-hectare Advanced Display Park reflected Singapore's commitment to the sector. It enables new companies to plug and play, with utility services like high-grade industrial water and high-voltage electricity provided on tap.
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