Electronista: Sony is investing in a flat TV manufacturing plant Sharp is building for LCD panels, according to a report today. The €2,3 billion plant is due to be operational by March of 2010, with construction commencing this past December. The plant will be two-thirds owned by Sharp and will manufacture 40-, 50- and 60-inch (102cm, 127cm, 152cm) flat panels. Japanese daily newspaper Nikkei claims that Sony will contribute about €612 million to the venture, though neither company has confirmed that number.
Sony President Ryoji Chubachi and Sharp President Mikio Katayama were scheduled to speak at a joint news conference in Tokyo in the latter part of the day to shed more light on their joint venture.With growing demand for flat-panel TVs around the world, the move is seen as a profitable one for both companies, as it gives Sony another source for its TVs, in addition to its supply from another joint venture with Samsung, while Sharp’s investment is lightened.
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