BOE launches new production line in Chengdu

BOE Technology Group Co Ltd launched its Gen 6 LTPS/AMO-LED production line in the Chengdu Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone (Chengdu Hi-tech Zone) on Friday, involving a total investment of 22 billion yuan ($3.54 billion).

BOE is a leading supplier of semiconductor display technology, products and services and is based in Beijing. The new production line is intended to produce high-end mobile phone panels and new displays for mobile devices. It has a design capacity of 45,000 glass substrates per month and is expected to come into operation in the first half of 2017.

BOE and Chengdu Hi-tech Zone have enjoyed a long partnership. In 2007, BOE invested 3.1 billion yuan to build a Gen 4.5 TFT-LCD project in the zone; in 2011, it expanded the Chengdu LTPS TFT-LCD/AMOLED production line to offer over 30 different products.

According to NPD DisplaySearch, a worldwide leader in display market research and consulting, the demand for LTPS panels will continue to grow with the popularity of high-resolution smart phones and increasing sizes of smart phone screens.

It is expected that the compound annual growth rate of demand for LTPS panels will reach 24.1 percent and that for AMOLED panels, 40.7 percent in 2020.

“Chengdu has an integrated industrial chain of electronic information industry. As the regional hub in southwestern China, it is rich in top talent and human resources, and provides access to a massive market,” said Liu Xiaodong, COO of BOE.

Liu said BOE will use Chengdu as a base from which to expand into larger global markets, largely enhancing the competitiveness of its high-end display products.

In mid-August 2014, China Electronics Corporation announced it would invest 28 billion yuan to build a Gen 8.5 Panel production line project in Chengdu.