Nippon Sheet Glass intends to increase its output of glass for touch panels to meet growing demand from makers of mobile phones and tablet PCs. It plans to make extremely thin glass with a thickness o…
Nippon Sheet Glass intends to increase its output of glass for touch panels to meet growing demand from makers of mobile phones and tablet PCs. It plans to make extremely thin glass with a thickness of 0.4 mm or less using facilities for thin sheet glass at its Maizuru plant. The Tokyo-based company is the largest maker of touch-panel glass in Japan, commanding a market share of a little over 60%, a position it is striving to maintain. It also is strong in the production of glass substrates for use in small and medium-size liquid crystal displays. The Japanese flat glass industry estimates that the global market for touch-panel glass was 50 million pieces in fiscal 2006 ended 31 March 2007. The glass was previously used chiefly in ATMs and ticket machines, but its application area has recently expanded to include tablet PCs, mobile phones and car navigation systems. The market is projected to reach 100 million units in fiscal 2008 and 140 million units in fiscal 2010.