Jun 19 2006
LG.Philips LCD held a groundbreaking ceremony last week for its new back-end module production plant in Wroclaw, Poland. Polish Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, LG.Philips LCD Vice Chairman and CEO Bon Joon Koo, Wroclaw Mayor Rafal Dutkiewicz, and Kobierzyce Commune Mayor Ryszard Pacholik attended the ceremony.
The new plant is a result of an investment agreement LG.Philips LCD signed with the Polish government and Wroclaw's municipal government in September of last year. It is an important part of the company's strategy of creating a global manufacturing network in which the technology-intensive "front-end" production of TFT-LCD panels takes place in Korea, while "back-end" module production and assembly takes place closer to customers.
LG.Philips LCD is the first global LCD panel maker to establish a production base in Europe. The company plans to increase its already sizable market share in the fast-growing European LCD TV market and better serve customer needs through lower distribution costs, timely supply and swift technical support.
LG.Philips LCD plans to start mass production at the plant in March of 2007 with an initial capacity of 3 million modules per year. The new plant will reach its design capacity of 11 million units per year by 2011.
Vice Chairman and CEO of LG.Philips LCD Bon Joon Koo said "By establishing a new production base in Poland, which has many strategic advantages for us including high quality labor and an excellent climate for investment, we expect to lead the fast-growing European LCD TV market."
According to DisplaySearch, a leading TFT-LCD industry research firm, Europe has emerged as the world's largest market for LCD TVs, with a 41% market share in 2005 (based on units), ahead of Japan and North America. DisplaySearch expects the European LCD TV market to record a compound annual growth rate of 29.6% per year from 2005, generating three-fold growth by 2009.
http://www.lg.co.kr