Displays shipped to Seiko Epson

An Integrated Microelectronics product story

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team Aug 31, 2004

IMI has made its first shipment of liquid crystal display (LCD) modules for cellular phones for its customer Seiko Epson Corp.

IMI has made its first shipment of liquid crystal display (LCD) modules for cellular phones for its customer Seiko Epson Corp.

Japan-based Seiko Epson is the world's leading developer and producer of high-definition and low-power consumption colour LCD modules and other display devices used in various mobile devices like cellular phones, PDAs, and digital cameras.

It counts among its major customers the world's key mobile phone original equipment manufacturers.

IMI assembles Seiko Epson's thin film diode (TFD) LCD modules for use in cellular phones.

TFD is a type of LCD flat-panel display technology that combines the excellent image quality and fast response times of thin film transistor (TFT) technology with the low power consumption of colour super-twist nematic (CSTN) technology.

IMI is the first electronics company in the Philippines that manufactures LCD modules for cellular phones.

Production started in August and volume is expected to ramp up to 750,000 TFD LCD modules per month by the first quarter of 2005.

Isomu Koike, President of Seiko Epson's Philippine plant Epson Precision (Philippines), says: "This is the first time we embark on a close co-operation with another company and I believe that this partnership with IMI will be lasting and fruitful".

Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Seiko Epson (Japan) Motoharu Komatsu expresses his confidence in IMI by saying: "The Seiko Epson-IMI partnership will withstand the constant fluctuations in the cellular phone market by upholding the high standards of manufacturing quality that our products represent".

IMI President and Chief Executive Officer Arthur Tan says: "We are grateful to Seiko Epson for the trust they have put on IMI and we are looking forward to proving that we can live up to their expectations".

According to market research firms iSuppli and Stanford Resources, the market for mobile phone displays using either TFT or CSTN technology will grow at a compound annual rate of 41% for the period 2004-2007.