AU Optronics Corp (友達光電), the nation's largest maker of liquid-crystal-display panels, said it is planning to borrow NT$50 billion (US$1.5 billion) before October to boost capacity at its newest factory.
"It should be a syndicated loan," Hsiao Ya-wen (
She did not provide details of which banks or how many will provide the loan.
The new production line, which will make LCD panels for televisions, will double the Taichung factory's capacity to 120,000 glass plates by the end of next year, according to the company. The money is expected to be raised before AU Optronics completes its merger with smaller rival Quanta Display Inc (廣輝電子) on Oct. 1, Hsiao said.
Capacity at the new line will be 60,000 substrates per month, which can be used to make panels for TVs measuring between 42 inches and 57 inches in diagonal size, the company said.
AU Optronics is building a 7.5-generation factory, Fab L7a, which will have monthly capacity of 10,000 substrates per month by the end of this year, rising to 60,000 per month next year, she said. The factory will be AU Optronics' largest.
Increased production capacity will allow AU Optronics to step up competition with larger rivals Samsung Electronics Co and LG.Philips LCD Co, and smaller rivals Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp (奇美電子) and Hannstar Display Corp (瀚宇彩晶).
RSS