news archive
JETRO to
Connect North American and Japanese Companies During CES
2005
New York,
November 8 - The Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)
is sponsoring a program to connect North American companies
with Japan's top industry leaders during the 2005
International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas,
January 6-9, 2005. JETRO is a non-profit,
government-supported organization dedicated to promoting
mutually beneficial trade, investment, and other economic
ties between Japan and other countries.
These
pre-arranged meetings with senior-level executives are
designed to nurture new business alliances, partnerships,
investments, and joint venture and licensing opportunities
with potential Japanese partners. Participating Japanese
firms include: Toshiba, Hitachi, NTT DoCoMo, Seiko Epson,
and Fujitsu. Among the key technologies currently in demand
by Japanese companies are those relating to digital
television and consumer electronics. An application to
request a meeting during CES can be downloaded here:
www.investinjapan.org/html/ces05.html
"Japanese
demand for advanced software and ICT products is growing
rapidly," notes Hiroki Matsumoto, Executive Director of
JETRO New York, which is organizing the program. "Our
mission is to help develop networks within the Japanese
business community. This program can provide major growth
opportunities for U.S. and other global businesses."
JETRO has a
sophisticated understanding of how to match businesses with
the best partner in Japan, and has the infrastructure to
assist with office space, government regulations and
coaching on the local business culture, Matsumoto said.
The program
is part of JETRO's continuing efforts to help businesses
enter the Japanese market. The application deadline for the
free customized meetings program at CES 2005 is November 29,
2004.
Information: www.investinjapan.org/html/ces05.html,
or email Daniel Claus at daniel_claus@jetro.go.jp.
AU
Optronics Sees Shipments Rise In Period Of Panel Oversupply
Taipei,
Taiwan, October 26 - In September, AU Optronics (AUO)
shipped a total of 6.03 million panels. Small- and
medium-sized panels saw the most growth. The total of 4.44
million units in September 2004 broke the previous monthly
record of 3.53 million units, set last month (August 2004).
The shipment of 4.44 million small- and medium-sized panels
was an increase of 25.7 percent over August.
Shipments for
large-sized panel applications, including panels for desktop
monitors, notebooks, and LCD TVs totaled 1.59 million units
in September.
Consolidated
revenues for the month of September grew 15.2 percent
month-on-month and 23.2 percent year-on-year, while
unconsolidated net sales increased 15.4 percent
month-on-month and 32.2 percent year-on-year. Year-to-date
consolidated revenues for AUO reached USD 3.82 billion.
The company
indicated that quality assurance was one reason for its
growth. Dr. CT Liu, Director of the AUO Technology Center,
said, "The most important thing that AUO can do to
guarantee quality is to invest considerable time in
developing the 'know-how' in all phases of the design,"
said Dr. Liu. Dr. Liu oversees all of the panel designs,
which are then released to the vendors with which AUO works.
Another
factor in the success of AUO is that it manufactures panels
of all sizes. The company produces panel modules ranging
from 1.5-inches to 46-inches, suitable for applications
including digital still cameras, digital video cameras,
mobile phones, car TVs and navigations, notebooks, LCD
desktop monitors, and LCD-TVs.
The merger of
Acer Display Technology, Inc. and Unipac Optoelectronics
Corporation in 2001 provided AUO with the backbone and
expertise to produce the whole range of panels, the company
said. Market research firm DisplaySearch ranks AUO in the
top five producers of LCD panels.
AUO is
planning for more growth. In June of this year, AUO CEO K.Y.
Lee stated that the company is making an effort to move into
the top three mobile phone TFT-LCD screen providers. In
order for this to happen, Lee said the company would aim to
ship one million small-sized panels per month in the second
half of the year.
The company
is also interested in OLEDs and other emerging technologies.
The company recently developed the world's first
double-sided active-matrix OLED. This new development allows
the company to simultaneously show two separate moving
images on one piece of panel.
In terms of
increasing performance, the company recently announced that
it has successfully self-developed a five millisecond
response time technology for TFT-LCD panels.
Dr. Liu
remarked that AUO has developed its technologies in-house,
and constantly works to improve upon them. Dr. Liu mentioned
that LTPS panels are under production for DSCs, DVCs, and
cell phones.
Information: www.auo.com.
