Samsung to build TFT-LCD plant in China
Oct. 28, 2002 — Seoul, South Korea — Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced the construction of a new TFT-LCD module assembly plant at the Suzhou Industrial Park in China’s Jiangsu Province. The new plant will cover 100,000 square meters (1 million square feet) of a 545,500-square-meter site acquired for future facility expansions.

The Suzhou facility will begin operation in the third quarter of 2003, turning out 14.1-inch and 15-inch TFT-LCDs for notebook PCs, as well as 15-, 17- and 19-inch models for desktop monitors. Initial monthly output is expected to be approximately 200,000 units, which will be supplied domestically. The local assembly operation will enable Samsung to improve customer service and shorten delivery intervals.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the site and attended by more than 300 dignitaries and guests, including Mr. Yoon-Woo Lee, president and CEO of Samsung Electronics Device Solution Network, and Mr. Hyung-Do Lee, chairman of Samsung China Regional HQ, as well as Chinese business and government officials. In conjunction with the ceremony, Samsung Electronics announced its plans for intensive business expansion in China.

Samsung Electronics regards the Chinese TFT-LCD market as a main growth region. The company will continue to strengthen Chinese operations so that by 2006 some one-third of all the TFT-LCDs produced by Samsung in Korea will be assembled in China. In addition to the new TFT-LCD assembly plant, the company also outlined its intention to expand overall semiconductor and TFT-LCD operations in China.

During the ceremony, Samsung announced expansion of the existing Suzhou semiconductor assembly operation. The company began semiconductor assembly operations at Suzhou in 1996. The plant, which was dedicated to System LSI assembly, has expanded product availability to memory products that are much in demand in China. These include DRAMs and SRAMs for mobile phones.