Toppoly to Merge With Philips MDS Unit
November 18, 2005
Toppoly recently announced it will merge with Philips' MDS (Mobile Display Systems) unit and be renamed as TPO. The merger, expected to be completed in the first half of 2006, will boost TPO's monthly capacity to ten million units, from Toppoly's current four million. Besides the integration of personnel, client base, and production sites, TPO will benefit from Philips' patent assets and R&D resources as well. The MDS unit will also complement Toppoly in terms of display technologies, especially STN, CSTN, and a-Si TFT-LCD. In the future, TPO plans to focus on manufacturing small- and medium-sized panels, with the intention to boost the shipment share of these to 60% by 2006 from the current 30%, and become a 100% small- and medium-sized panel maker by 2008. Philips will have a 17.5% stake in TPO, which will have a total capital of about NT$43 billion.