SCHOTT expands FPD-TFT capacity in Europe, Asia

December 9, 2005 – SCHOTT is expanding its activities in the FPD market by investing US$195 million in its melting and processing capacity for TFT-LCD glass for FPDs. SCHOTT has entered a joint venture, SCHOTT Kuramoto Processing Korea Co. Ltd., for the processing of large format TFT-LCD glass substrates of generation five and upwards with Kuramoto Seisakusho Co. Ltd., based in Japan’s Miyagi prefecture.

The joint facility is under construction in Ochang, ~70km south of Seoul, in Korea’s Chungcheongbuk-do province. The US$115 million plant will come on-stream at the end of 2006, creating 350 new jobs.

The company is also stepping up its melting capacity for alkali-free thin glass substrates of the seventh and eighth generations by constructing a new TFT melting tank in Jena, Germany, where SCHOTT already operates one TFT tank. Construction of the US$80 million tank will begin in February, with ramp-up planned for the end of 2006. The new tank will create 100 new jobs in Jena and will more than double the company’s melting capacity for the 0.7mm thick TFT substrates.

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