Nov 06, 2009
Announcement Concerning Cooperative Venture in Small and Medium-Size Display Business
(OLED and TFT Liquid Crystals)
TOKYO, November 6, 2009- Casio Computer Co., Ltd. (President & CEO: Kazuo Kashio; hereafter "Casio") and Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. (President & CEO: Naoki Adachi; hereafter "Toppan Printing") have agreed to the terms of a cooperative venture in the small and medium-size display business, toward the goal of an early shift to mass production of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, which the two companies have jointly developed. Casio will establish a new company for the small and medium-size display business, and transfer a portion of the new company’s shares to Toppan Printing. The new company will add the manufacture and sale of OLED displays to Casio’s current line-up of small and medium-size thin-film transistor (TFT) liquid crystal displays (LCDs), in order to strengthen competitiveness in the small and medium-size display business and to foster new growth.
1. Objectives for Establishment of New Company
Casio possesses technologies and facilities related to the small and medium-size TFT LCD business, as well as TFT technology to drive OLED. Toppan Printing is a leader in the superfine fabrication technologies based on printing methods that are essential for the manufacture of high-quality OLED displays.
The new company will use the technologies of the two parent companies to move toward an early start of mass production of OLED displays that make possible high quality at low cost, and make use of Casio’s know-how in the small and medium-size LCD business to develop applications of organic EL displays, with the intention of an early start of sales centering on Casio’s existing customers. In addition, in the area of small and medium-size TFT LCDs, the new company will continue the development and sale of high-performance, high-quality products using Casio’s Hyper Amorphous Silicon TFT (HAST)* technology.
*Casio’s own high-resolution, high-aperture ratio LCD technology.
2. Configuration and Overview of the New Company
Casio intends to establish a new 100% wholly owned subsidiary by the end of February 2010, and to transfer facilities and personnel involved in Casio’s small and medium-size TFT LCD business and OLED development on April 1, 2010 through a spin-off. In addition, all shares in Casio’s 100% wholly owned subsidiary Kochi Casio Co., Ltd. (hereafter "Kochi Casio") will be transferred to the new company. Following that, 80% of the shares in the new company will be transferred from Casio to Toppan Printing on the target date of April 1, 2010.
Summary of the new company
-Company name: Not yet determined
-Location of head office: Not yet determined
-Representative: President and CEO Ichiro Ohno
(Currently Corporate -Officer, Senior General Manager, Electronic Device Division, Casio Computer Co., Ltd.)
-Businesses: Research, development, manufacture, and sale of OLED displays and TFT LCDs
-Paid-in capital: 400 million yen (Toppan Printing: 80%; Casio: 20%)
-Business start date: Planned for April 1, 2010
-Settlement date: March 31
-Sales target: Approximately 35 billion yen (for the first fiscal year)
-Number of employees: About 600 (Consolidated)
