KYOCERA to Acquire 100% Ownership of LCD Manufacturer OPTREX Corporation

WVGA resolution, long life LED backlight with up to 70,000 operating hours with a brightness of 700 cd, a slim housing and a viewing angle which covers the needs for industrial use, thanks to the latest display technology: these are the key features of Kyocera’s new 7 inch LCD. Combined with those features are the reliability in delivery and especially the long availability of the product that distinguish Kyocera as a reliable manufacturer.Kyocera’s Corporate Thin Film Components Group develops, manufactures and markets small- and medium-sized LCDs for industrial applications worldwide. The company has been successful in establishing a business structure capable of responding to customer needs, which requires the ability to meet custom orders and to manufacture a wide range of products even in small volume. Furthermore, since 2010 Kyocera has been expanding its capacitive touchscreen panel business and has garnered a good reputation for product quality and features such as thinness, strength and waterproof functionality for use in smartphones.

Demand for LCDs used in industrial equipment and automotive applications is expected to steadily increase; and the expanding market for capacitive touchscreen panels used in high value-added products such as smartphones and tablet computers is expected to see continued high-growth in the coming years.

Optrex has a high level of technical ability in manufacturing LCDs for automotive applications and a strong customer base both inside and outside of Japan. Kyocera expects that the acquisition will allow the company to further enhance the product lines of both its conventional industrial equipment applications and newly acquired automotive applications, and thus contribute to business expansion.

Moreover, Optrex also possesses excellent production technology for touchscreen panels, thus by effectively combining both companies’ product technologies and operating resources including customer bases, Kyocera also expects to further enhance and expand its touchscreen panel business.

This acquisition will enable Kyocera to further expand its LCD and touchscreen panel business and to meet a wider range of customer needs.