Sony Corp, the world's second-largest consumer electronics maker, said shipments of liquid-crystal-display (LCD) televisions would probably double in the year started April 1, enabling a return to profit at its TV business in the second half.
2.8 million TVs
The company shipped 2.8 million LCD televisions in the year just ended, said Katsumi Ihara, president of Sony's TV business group, speaking to reporters in Tokyo.
PHOTO: EPA
Sony is making more and larger displays to reduce per-unit costs and counter sliding prices for smaller screens. S-LCD Co, the Tokyo-based company's flat-panel production partnership with Samsung Electronics Co, yesterday said it would spend ¥28 billion (US$239 million) to boost output at an existing factory.
The planned investment would enable S-LCD to increase capacity by 15,000 panels to 90,000 per month by early next year, according to a statement issued by the joint venture.
It follows an investment plan released in November to boost its monthly capacity by 15,000 panels to 75,000 by July with an investment worth ¥10 billion from the current capacity of 60,000.
With robust sales of its newly launched "Bravia" brand LCD TVs, Sony has been seeking ways to strengthen its foothold in the market.
Sales to double
S-LCD on Tuesday forecast it would double sales to 4 trillion won (US$4.2 billion) this year, after Sony and Samsung on April 10 said they would invest US$2 billion to build the world's biggest flat-panel production line.
The facility would begin mass production in August next year, Ihara of Sony said yesterday.
Sony said it will also increase the size of panels it procures from outside vendors to as big as 32 inches.
Operating profit, or sales minus the cost of goods sold and administrative expenses, rose to about ¥20 billion in the year ended March 31, driven by flat-panel television sales in the US and Europe, the Nihon Keizai newspaper reported on April 13, without citing anyone.
The forecast compares with the company's earlier estimate of ¥100 billion operating profit and ¥113.9 billion a year ago.
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