Asahi Glass Co. plans to invest about JPY 1.5 billion (USD 14 million) to increase its output capacity for optical filters used in plasma display panels by 60% in April 2005. The investment will go to…
Asahi Glass Co. plans to invest about JPY 1.5 billion (USD 14 million) to increase its output capacity for optical filters used in plasma display panels by 60% in April 2005. The investment will go to adding equipment at its existing manufacturing facilities. The company will then increase its annual plasma display filter output capacity from 2.5 million units to 4 million units in response to a sharp increase in demand. Asahi Glass will upgrade a production line at its optical filter factory in Chiba Prefecture that applys resins to reduce electromagnetic radiation and reflected light. The firm will also introduce new equipment so that it can produce optical filters that can be applied directly onto panels. Production line upgrades will also be carried out at a plant in Aichi Prefecture that attaches filters to glass. The plasma display market is expected to triple from the levels recorded in 2003 to 4-5 million units in 2005, according to Asahi Glass.