Sharp to expand LCD production earlier than planned

Rising demand for flat-panel televisions around the world is pushing Sharp Corp. to bring forward a planned expansion of display production, the company said Monday.

Sharp's second manufacturing line at its Kameyama factory in western Japan will begin producing LCD (liquid crystal display) panels two months ahead of schedule in January, said Miyuki Nakayama, a spokeswoman for Sharp in Tokyo.

The new line will push capacity of the Kameyama facility from the current 15,000 glass substrates per month to 30,000 substrates per month. Each substrate measures 2.16 meters by 2.46 meters and several LCD panels can be produced from each sheet. In the case of 46-inch panels eight can be produced per sheet while for 52-inch panels the number drops to six.

The company said demand for flat-panel TVs helped by the spread of digital and high-definition TV worldwide is behind the early start to production. Sharp's 46-inch and 52-inch Aquos-brand LCD TVs, which are based on panels made at Kameyama, are proving very popular during the end-of-year sales period in Japan, the U.S. and Europe, it said.

Osaka-based Sharp is one of the world's leading manufacturers of LCD panels and a leading vendor of LCD televisions.