What Display Daily Thinks: Vedanta has been relentlessly pursuing the display market alongside its pursuit of a semiconductor manufacturing base in India. How it competes with China’s LCD makers, and how it differentiates itself in the future is anybody’s guess. However, long term, India can compete with Asian manufacturers simply because it can match labor costs, it has technology resources and a burgeoning domestic market, and it has proven capable of doing something similar in other technology segments.
LCDs: Made in India
In an ambitious move, Vedanta is entering the electronics components sector with plans to set up a $4 billion liquid crystal display (LCD) panel fabrication unit in western India. The new venture, led by newly appointed CEO YJ Chen, will create approximately 3,500 direct jobs and will begin recruiting global talent from South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, among other regions. Chen, with his 23 years of experience in the display industry and previous employment at Chinese display maker HKC Corp., underlined that the biggest challenge for the company is sourcing skilled technicians.
This new display unit is separate from Vedanta’s yet-to-be-successful chip venture, potentially offering a less challenging path to profitability. Vedanta’s display unit is in partnership with Innolux . The firm plans to produce glass and assemble LCD panels at its new factory. If the company secures key funding from the Indian government, it is expected to begin production by the end of 2025.
Vedanta is looking to secure a portion of India’s expanding display market, projected to grow to $30 billion annually over the next seven years.
