Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. has decided to increase production capacity of glass substrates for TFT-LCD. Spending about JPY 30 billion in total, Asahi Glass will set up a furnace with an output capacity of …
Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. has decided to increase production capacity of glass substrates for TFT-LCD. Spending about JPY 30 billion in total, Asahi Glass will set up a furnace with an output capacity of 5 million square meters a year and a polishing line for up to 10th generation substrates at its Takasago Plant. The furnace is expected to start production in Autumn 2008 and the polishing line is forecast to start in 2009. Demand for TFT liquid crystal panels is now in full swing for television sets as well as for personal computers, and is expected to rise at an annual rate of 20% on a unit basis. In addition, many TFT liquid crystal panel manufacturers currently produce panels by using 6th generation or larger substrates. Production of panels using 10th generation glass substrates, the world“s largest, is also scheduled. Given this trend, the availability of glass substrates is expected to tighten, and glass manufacturers will be forced to build facilities to meet demand for large substrates. As the company“s largest domestic production base of TFT glass, the Takasago Plant currently operates two furnaces for TFT glass substrates and a polishing line that can handle up to 8th generation glass substrates. The plant“s existing human resources and infrastructure are available for the project, and space exists at the plant site without the need to acquire or lease additional land. Asahi Glass says it will continue to expand facilities as necessary, while giving full consideration to trends in demand for glass substrates and an increase in production capacity at its existing plants in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, and will also supply products that meet the needs of customers by leveraging its strengths in the float production method and technologies for polishing large glass substrates.