Casio to Buy LCDs from Taiwan

Casio Computer Co. Ltd. has indicated it would buy liquid crystal displays from Taiwan’s HannStar Display Corp., aiming to boost its presence in the cell-phone-use panel market without investing in its own production facilities. Casio has agreed to extend to HannStar its technologies to make high-resolution panels. Casio is the world’s largest maker of LCD panels used in digital cameras with a 40 percent market share while HannStar is Taiwan’s fifth-largest LCD maker. 

Casio’s flagship LCD plant in western Japan has been running at full capacity, hampering its attempt to expand its sales in the fast-growing market for mobile phone displays. “Limited capacity prevented us from making an all-out entry into the cellphone panel business,” according to a company spokeswoman. “We could have boosted our own capacity or built a new plant. But after thorough consideration, we’ve decided to take the least risky and most secure way.” Continue