Japan TFT LCD component makers to set up plants in South Korea

"Japan-based TFT LCD key component makers, including Asahi Glass, Nippon Electric Glass (NEG), Nippon Sheet Glass (NSG), Sumitomo Chemical and Toray Industries, all plan to set up plants within the next few years in South Korea, according to a Bloomberg report published in Japanese.

Asahi plans to set up an 100% subsidiary (Asahi Glass Fine Techno Korea), which will be later converted to a joint venture between Asahi and South Korea-based Hankuk Electric Glass to run a new glass substrate polishing line in Gumi, South Korea"

N.B:Hankuk Electric Glass is owned 42.6% by Asahi Glass and 20% by LG Electronics.

Other K. pWnEd news @ Digitimes Taiwan

Samsung, Toshiba cut flash memory prices

"Two companies that dominate the lucrative market for memory chips used in digital cameras and music players are slashing prices to stoke demand and undermine emerging rivals, industry officials and analysts said.But industry experts said Samsung and Japan’s Toshiba are taking a pre-emptive strike against companies including Infineon Technologies AG, Hynix Semiconductor Inc and Micron Technology Inc that are trying to break the virtual duopoly." Full news @ MSNBC

They forgot to sat that Samsung stole the technology from Toshiba...

Go figure.

Japan introduces 4000 scan-line TV

"Japan's semi-government broadcasting corporation, NHK, demonstrated the world's first ultrahigh-definition 4,000 scanning line video system Monday.The number of scan lines determines the quality of screen images. The new system uses 4,320 lines, compared to the 1,250 lines used in high-definition systems." Full news @ The Washington Times

Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer, JVC, Samsung, LG - pWnEd

Asahi Glass to produce LCD glass substrate in S Korea - pWnEd

"Asahi Glass Co said Monday it will start manufacturing and marketing glass substrates for thin film transistor liquid crystal displays in Gumi, South Korea, by establishing a new subsidiary by the end of May to meet the projected rise in local demand.

Asahi Glass, Japan's biggest glass maker, said it will invest approximately 9 billion yen to set up a polishing line to start commercial production of LCD glass substrates in July 2005. Construction of the line is scheduled to start in August." Full news @ Japan Today

I wonder if they'll sell it to Samsung...

Go figure.

Trying to be Sony, in a hurry

..."Perhaps the greatest demonstration of that is what is taking place in South Korea. It's probably the most voracious brand culture out there and its great hit has been Samsung, which has done a fantastic job," brand-man Swystun said. "Samsung has (made) a conscious effort in the last 10 years to say, `We are going to play up Samsung as an innovative, quality electronics leader. So now Samsung is not crap. It's ... almost an electronics luxury brand." Full story @ TheStar.com

Is not??? Almost???

"Apple Computers rose from the provincial confines of a garage. So did Hewlett-Packard — in 1938. That same year, Byung-Chull Lee started exporting fish and vegetables from Korea under the name Samsung."

From fish and vegetables to semiconductors and plasma displays. That's quite a big leap I'd say.

Go figure.

Samsung oWnEd

"South Korea's Samsung group may be facing a hostile takeover bid from British investment funds, according to a local report Thursday.

Seoul's Mail Business Newspaper reported that the combined ownership of several British investment funds in the group's holding company, Samsung Corp., has increased to 15.82 percent. That would outweigh the 13.8 percent owned by Samsung subsidiaries and the group's chairman Lee Kun-Hee.

The Korean daily reported that an unspecified Scottish investor acquired a 4.99 percent stake in Samsung Corp., adding to a 5 percent stake owned by Hermes Investment Management and 5.83 percent owned by Platinum Asset Management.

The combined foreign ownership in Samsung Corp. currently stands at 46.1 percent." Full news @ The Washington Times

Sony Cyber-shot

Sony Cyber-shot vs. Samsung Digimax

Digitall cool @ Discovery Channel

One thing catches my attention this morning on Discovery Channel: Digitall Cool is about Samsung and their "cool" technology... A S.Korean techie, has all the gadgets, but I observe amon them Sony's Aibo!!! Fast forward... You know already that Samsung makes vacuum cleaners, freezers, heavy machinery, bridges and ships... They've entered the digital cameras market as well... Or at least they think they did... I observe during the program a digital camera that does not resemble Samsung's design and colour (or better said Sony's CyberShot). I get a glimpse and see...Olympus!!!

Now, as far as I know, neither Sony, neither Olympus is a Samsung division...

Go figure.

17>40 or how Samsung revolutionized math

"Samsung SDI, the display affiliate of Samsung Electronics, said on Tuesday it has developed a 17-inch active matrix organic light-emitting diode (AM OLED) based on the low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) technology, the largest of its kind in the world.

The development will act as momentum for the globe's largest OLED maker with a 32 percent market share to secure competitiveness in production costs in a short period of time since the goods are manufactured with core and high-end OLED technologies, Samsung SDI said." Full news @ Korea Times

In other news...

"TOKYO, May 18 (Reuters) - Japan's Seiko Epson Corp said on Tuesday that it has developed the world's first full-colour 40-inch display using organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology, heating up competition for next-generation screens.

Seiko Epson, one of the world's largest makers of printers and small liquid crystal displays (LCD), said it planned to commercialise the technology in 2007 by producing OLED displays for televisions up to 41 inches in size." Full news @ Forbes

Let's not forget that Samsung licenced the techonlogy from Kodak and developed it with NEC...

Let's take a look now at OLED market shares: "In 2003, OLED display manufacturers shipped over 17 million units, and achieved revenues of $262.7 million, reflecting an increase of 127.4%. The leading supplier was Pioneer with a 40.0% share, followed by Samsung (SNMD) at 33.0%, RiTdisplay at 23.1% and Kodak at 2.2%. Others entering the OLED display industry include DuPont Displays, Philips, OSRAM, Delta Optronics, TECO, eMagin, MED, TDK and Univision." Full article @ Displaysearch.com


Go figure...

Samsung technology

Coming soon...