Sony has recently reached two separate deals
with Taiwan-based Foxconn and Japan's Kyocera to sell its LCD (Liquid Crystal
Display) facilities, according to reports by Economic Daily News and Reuters.
Foxconn announced on March 31 that it has obtained a 90.1% stake in Sony's LCD TV
plant in Nitra, western Slovakia. The staff of around 2,500 at the Nitra plant
will be transferred along with the facility to Foxconn, which will continue to
produce Sony-branded LCD TVs targeting the European market. The deal is
currently pending regulatory approval and is slated for completion by September
2010. Following the deal in Slovakia, it is reported that Foxconn will seek to
acquire Sony's LCD TV plant in Spain as well, according to Economic Daily News.
Meanwhile, Japan's Kyocera said on March 31 that
the company has reached a definitive agreement with Sony and its subsidiary Sony
Mobile Display for the acquisition of the latter's TFT (Thin Film Transistor) LCD
design and manufacturing facility in Shiga Prefecture, western Japan, according
to a press release by Kyocera. The deal is scheduled to take effect on June 1,
2010, and the employees will be transferred along with the facility, too. The
Shiga plant is a small- and medium-sized TFT-LCD facility mainly engaged in the
design and manufacturing of high-specification displays for use in consumer
electronic devices such as DSC (Digital Still Cameras) and camcorders. Sony is
expected to continue manufacturing high-specification displays for its own use
at a plant in Aichi Prefecture and amorphous silicon TFT-LCDs at a plant in
Tottori Prefecture, according to Reuters.