Samsung Electronics today held a ceremony for a new 7.5 generation fabrication facility in Suzhou, China, which will become part of China's largest LCD production cluster.
The facility, which will be constructed by Samsung Suzhou LCD (SSL) with an investment of about US$3 billion, is expected to begin mass production in the first half of 2013. Spanning an area of 600,000 square meters, the new fabrication line will be capable of producing 100,000 glass substrates (1950 x 2250mm) per month.
SSL was established on April 21, 2011 as a joint venture between Samsung, Suzhou Industrial Park and TCL Corporation.
With the new panel manufacturing facility, Suzhou Industrial Park will become China?s largest advanced LCD production cluster, including materials and components suppliers, LCD panel and module production, as well as distribution.
Samsung Electronics is seeking to establish an integrated LCD manufacturing base in China, the world?s largest market for LCD panels. It will leverage the new fabrication together with its existing LCD module production line in Suzhou to establish a competitive edge in the market.
"Samsung Suzhou LCD sets a new precedent as a strategic joint venture between China's leading TV maker TCL, leading LCD manufacturer Samsung Electronics and the center of the Chinese IT industry Suzhou Industrial Park. Through this investment, Samsung Electronics LCD Business aims to contribute to the development of the LCD display industry," Wonkie Chang, President of Samsung Electronics LCD Business, said in the commemorative speech.