Nomura Unison to begin mass production of 6G LCD equipment in Taiwan

Taipei, Aug. 15, 2005 (CENS)--Nomura Unison Group of Japan has announced that its new plant in central Taiwan's Chungkang Economic Processing Zone would soon started mass production of sixth-generation (6G) and -beyond thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) panel production and testing equipment.

Minoru Nomura, president of Normura Unison, said that his company's local subsidiary Nomura Corp. of Taiwan, has been established for over 20 years and runs a plant in Kaohisung, southern Taiwan. Five years ago, the president added, the local subsidiary ventured into the production of TFT-LCD panel- and semiconductor-conveying and testing equipment. Nomura Taiwan has cultivated a comprehensive local supply chain, with a local content rate of up to 95% for the machinery products it turns out.



Nomura Unison also produces a wide range of products such as butterfly valves, medical devices, and machining centers, etc., with LCD-related equipment commanding 25% of its total annual revenue of some 25 billion Japanese yen.

According to Nomura, almost all local makers of large-sized TFT-LCD panels, including AU Optronics Corp. (AUO), Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp. (CMO), Quanta Display Inc., HannStar Display Corp., and Innolux Display Corp., are already his company's equipment customers.

The president pointed out that his company's new plant in central Taiwan has seen its floor space double that of its Kaohsiung plant. The new plant complex will be developed in two stages, and will also produce panel-adhering, panel-inspecting, and related equipment.

Nomura Unison's products would be directly shipped to Taiwan panel makers and exported to Japan and mainland China.

Industry insiders analyzed that an increasing number (about 20) of Japanese makers of TFT-LCD equipment have set up facilities in the Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP) to form an optoelectronic industry cluster. Such a trend indicated that all the Japanese investors will use their respective technical advantages to develop their parts and material supply chains on the island.