DigiTimes: Japan-based Funai Electric recently said it is exiting the PDP (plasma display panel) TV market due to sharply-falling prices and rising competition from vendors such as Panasonic, according to the Japanese- language newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun.
Funai offers 42-inch PDP TVs in North America with panels sourcing from LG Electronics (LGE). The TVs are manufactured in Malaysia, the paper quoted sources as saying. Sales volume from its PDP TVs in North America were no more than 100,000 units in 2006, the paper noted.
In the future, the Japan-based company will focus on LCD TV business, added the paper.
During a recent announcement of its fiscal year of 2006 (the year ended March 2007) performance in May, Funai updated its LCD TV business strategy and highlighted the company is scheduling to launch a 42-inch full high-definition (HD) LCD TV in the US in mid-2007. The company will also have a full line up of LCD TVs, from 15- to 37-inch models with a DVD player, noted Funai.
The Japan-based player is also planning to seeking for more LCD TV OEM orders, stated the company. In addition to OEM business, Funai also has brand names of Sylvania, Symphonic, Funai and Emerson.
Meanwhile, Funai announced that its new LCD TV plant in Poland will commence operation next month with monthly capacity of 200,000 units. The new plant should help the company to shorten lead time, reduce the inventory level of finished goods and lower tariff, said the Japan-based company.
Funai shipped about 600,000 LCD TVs in fiscal year 2005, sources said, adding that Funai is aiming for LCD TV shipments of 1.8 million units worldwide in fiscal year 2006.
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