Taiwan's flat panel makers lumber towards 5G

DIGITIMES RECKONS Taiwanese TFT LCD producers have made "considerable progress" in building 4.5 and 5 plants in the region. It says "all five" local companies are building either 4.5 or 5G plants in an attempt to catch up with their Korean competitors. Both Samsung and LG Philips have already begun production at their fifth-generation flat panel fabs.

Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT), is building a 4.5G line, but is some months away from full-scale production. Chi Mei Optoelectronics's (CMO) is building a 5G line, scheduled to begin operaion in the fourth quarter of next year, the wire reports. And both AU Optronics (AUO) and Quanta Display Inc. (QDI), are on course for the latter half of 2003. HannStar Display's 5G plant is unlikely to begin production until towards the end of 2003, is the reckoning.

We recently reported how Samsung and LG Philips' move to 5G production threatens the viability of flat panel production in Taiwan. Manufacturers in the area were required to step up their 5G plans to compete and required the necessary finance to do so, sources stated.

And the step to 5G manufacturing is fraught with technical difficulties which both LG Philips and, to a lesser extent Samsung have begun to overcome. The Taiwanese need to get their skates on, we suggest. µ