CMO to Restart Postponed 7.5G Capacity Expansion Project
May 11, 2007
Following the successful operations of its first-phase 7.5G TFT-LCD (Thin Film Transistor-Liquid Crystal Display) panel production line, Taiwanese TFT-LCD panel maker CMO (Chi Mei Optoelectronics) has confirmed plans to restart the postponed second-phase 7.5G capacity expansion project, the China Economic News Service reported. Equipment installation at the second-phase line is expected to start in the fourth quarter of 2007, with volume production slated for the second quarter of 2008. CMO's overall 7.5G capacity per month is estimated to reach 100,000 units once the second-phase line commences volume production.Meanwhile, mainly to meet CMO's demand for 7.5G substrates, AFT (Asahi Glass Fine Techno Taiwan), a wholly-owned unit of Japan's Asahi Glass, has began volume producing 7.5G glass substrates in the Tree Valley Park, close to CMO's 7.5G facility in the Tainan Science Park. AFT's full 7.5G capacity is able to reach 200,000 square meters per month. Currently AFT is operating at one third of that volume.