Date: 02/01/2012

LCD panel biz: Kyocera acquires Optrex and Samsung buys Sony share in S-LCD

Kyocera to acquire LCD panel maker Optrex Corporation to further strengthen and expand its LCD and touchscreen panel businesses. Effective February 1, 2012, Optrex will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kyocera Corporation.

Kyocera said since 2010 it has been expanding its capacitive touchscreen panel business and has garnered a good reputation for product quality and features such as thinness, strength and waterproof functionality for use in smartphones.

Optrex has a high level of technical ability in manufacturing LCDs for automotive applications and a strong customer base both inside and outside of Japan, According to Kyocera. The acquisition will allow the company to further enhance the product lines of both its conventional industrial equipment applications and newly acquired automotive applications, and thus contribute to business expansion, adds Kyocera.

In another business deal in LCD business, Samsung has said it is acquiring all of Sony's shares of S-LCD Corporation ("S-LCD"), the two companies' LCD panel manufacturing joint venture, making S-LCD a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung by paying approximately KRW 1.08 trillion to Sony by Samsung.