Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海) chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘) yesterday said he remains confident about future partnerships with the Japanese company Sharp Corp.
“I’m convinced that the difficulties in Hon Hai-Sharp partnership efforts can be resolved following the success of our first collaborative project to produce and market 60-inch LCD TVs,” Gou said on the sidelines of a meeting of the private business group Third Wednesday Club (三三會).
It was Gou’s first public statement about Hon Hai’s partnership with Sharp since the two companies failed to finalize a proposed acquisition deal in late August after Sharp’s stock plunged steeply.
Although the acquisition plan hit a snag, Hon Hai has obtained a stake in Sharp’s 10th-generation LCD panel plant, which has been running well in Sakai in western Japan, Gou said.
“The partnership between the two companies remains unchanged,” Gou said, adding that he believes the Sakai plant’s success in producing and marketing 60-inch LCD TVs will help facilitate future cooperation.
Gou said the Sakai project marks the first time that a Japanese company has commissioned a Taiwanese partner to manage its advanced display panel plant.
Initial market response to the new 60-inch LCD TVs has been fairly good, he said.
Shares in Hon Hai ended down 0.23 percent at NT$87.40 on the Taiwan Stock Exchange.
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