Sumitomo Chemical to Expand Touchscreen Panel Production Capacity

Dec. 28, 2015

Sumitomo Chemical ("the Company") has decided to increase the production capacity of touchscreen panels for organic LED (OLED) display panels at Dongwoo Fine-Chem Co.,Ltd., the Company’s South Korean base of operations for IT-related chemicals. The production will be raised to approximately 1.4 times the current capacity, the third expansion of the facilities. The new train is scheduled to begin mass production in October next year.

Starting its touchscreen panel business in 2011, Sumitomo Chemical has been contributing to thinning down OLED display panels through supplying thinner touchscreen panels which the Company has been developing by making the best use of specialized technological expertise accumulated in the manufacturing of color filters. Compared with liquid crystal display (LCD) panels, OLED display panels are thinner, lighter and consume less power because no backlight is required. In addition, they offer higher contrast in screen images and faster response. These distinct advantages have prompted an increasing number of assembled product manufacturers to adopt OLED display panels for their smartphones.

Amid growing OLED display panels market for smartphones, panel manufacturers are accelerating development of next-generation OLED devices, such as bended, foldable and rollable displays in hands. Given the situation, Sumitomo Chemical intends to exert increasing efforts to develop products geared to next-generation OLED displays, such as flexible
touchscreen panels, materials to replace cover glass, and barrier films, for their earliest possible commercialization.

Sumitomo Chemical has positioned the ICT field as one of the priority areas in the development of its next-generation businesses. Following the above capacity expansion of touchscreen panels, the Company will continue to work actively on developing higher-performance products, such as flexible touchscreen panels, and also enhancing the line-up of related products, thereby promoting the further growth of businesses in these fields as a new core area for its IT-related Chemicals Sector.

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