What They Say
Nikkei reported that Kyocera is to shut down a plant, originally opened by Optrex in 1997 in Jiangsu province in China that has been making STN displays valued at around $28 million. The displays were going into automotive applications, but also into machinery. The firm doesn’t plan to directly replace the capacity and will reduce its sales in the display sector. Some production will be moved to a fab in Guangdong, China.
Kyocera bought Optrex in 2012. The company was a subsidiary of Asahi Glass.
What We Think
Just a sign of the times. Gradually, the last of these old plants will be shut down or find other uses. When we reported on the plant in 1998, I must admit that I would not have been expecting to report on its demise 23 years later! I also reported from SID 2012 when Kyocera was a new name on the SID show floor after taking over the business.
I used to get regular updates on the business via the DFF, when Optrex had a factory in Babenhausen, Germany, to support its automotive operations in Europe, but it ceased production in 2010. (BR)
