NH Techno Glass (NHT), Toppan Printing Co., Ltd., and Asahi Glass Co., three Japanese manufacturers, plan to set up factories of TFT-LCD (thin film transistor-liquid crystal display) glass substrates …
NH Techno Glass (NHT), Toppan Printing Co., Ltd., and Asahi Glass Co., three Japanese manufacturers, plan to set up factories of TFT-LCD (thin film transistor-liquid crystal display) glass substrates in the Tainan Technology Industrial Park (TTIP) in Tainan City, southern Taiwan. NHT is the world“s fourth largest manufacturer of TFT-LCD glass substrates. Viewing that Taiwan ranks second globally in production volume of TFT-LCDs, for which TFT-LCD glass substrates are a main material, NHT originally planned to invest NT$ 1 billion to establish a factory in the Tainan Science-based Industrial Park (TSBIP) with monthly production capacity of 100,000 TFT-LCD glass substrates used by 3.5-generation TFT-LCD manufacturing process. The TSBIP is located in Tainan County, southern Taiwan, and is some 25 kilometers away from the TTIP. NHT later changed its mind, shifting the investment project from the TSBIP to the TTIP. While the planned investment amount remains substantially unchanged, NHT“s factory site in the TTIP diminishes to three hectares. Similarly, Toppan originally proposed establishment of a factory in the TSBIP but now will move to the TTIP. The company will lease an 8-hectare site to set up a factory including glass furnaces and finishing lines to polish the glass into TFT-LCD glass substrates for use by 3.5-generation manufacturing process. Asahi will also be stationed in the TTIP. The three Japanese manufacturers are estimated to invest more than NT$ 5 billion in aggregate in the TTIP.