Sumitomo Chemical to boost production capacity of film-based touchscreen panels
The Japanese Sumitomo Chemical Company decided to expand the production capacity of film-based touchscreen panels at Dongwoo Fine-Chem Co., Ltd., its wholly-owned subsidiary in South Korea. The production capacity is to be more than tripled, with the expanded commercial-scale production coming on stream in January 2018.
Starting in 2011, Sumitomo Chemical entered the glass-based touchscreen panels business for rigid-type OLED displays. Subsequently, to capture an increasing demand for flexible type OLED displays, the company went on to develop a film-based touchscreen panel, which it started producing in 2014. Going forward, the OLED displays market is expected to expand further, given that, in addition to the mainstream rigid-type displays with flat surfaces, flexible-type displays are becoming widespread in use with their offerings likely to extend from bendable displays with partially curved surfaces to foldable displays.
Looking ahead to the future steady growth in demand for flexible-type OLED displays, Sumitomo Chemical has, from early on, been engaged in developing process technology capable of producing touchscreen panels on a commercial scale that allow a wider range of design options in OLED display. In light of display makers’ vigorous investments in new and expanded OLED lines, Sumitomo Chemical has decided to significantly expand its production capacity for film-based touchscreen panels, based on its proprietary technologies, including those adaptable to production of foldable-type displays.
Sumitomo Chemical has positioned “ICT” as one of its core domains for its next-generation businesses. In the OLED display field, the Company is accelerating extensive activities of development encompassing a wide range of materials, including touchscreen panels. By rapidly bringing to market these new products under development, Sumitomo Chemical will continue to contribute to building a society with greater comfort and enhanced convenience.