TCL OLED Printing Project is Delayed
TCL (000100.CH), Chinastar (pvt), a TCL affiliate, and the Guangzhou municipal government signed a cooperation agreement concerning the development of a Gen 8.5 OLED printing production line recently, however the agreement specified no schedule and it seems that the original planning schedule, which was targeting production in 2024, has been delayed due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in Japan. The $6.8b project, is in addition to TCL’s recent $187m investment in Japan’s JOLED (pvt) who has been cooperating with TCL/Chinastar toward the development of a large panel OLED printing process. A number of TCL engineers are said to be in Japan to work with JOLED on their production line to verify the process, which has led to sample production of a 65” 8K display, however the COVID outbreak has slowed that development.
While overall even the production of an 8K 65” printed OLED sample is an interesting development, the production of such large panel printed OLED displays needs to be transferred to a mass production setting, which is at the core of the Guangzhou agreement. However the lack of a timetable leaves a bit to be desired as to the current commitment of both parties, which is likely a function of the necessity to take the development of a mass production process further. While the Chinese press indicates that China is “close” to mass production of printed OLED displays, if the TCL fab is to be the facility that spearheads that production, it might be a number of year before we see actual product.
While overall even the production of an 8K 65” printed OLED sample is an interesting development, the production of such large panel printed OLED displays needs to be transferred to a mass production setting, which is at the core of the Guangzhou agreement. However the lack of a timetable leaves a bit to be desired as to the current commitment of both parties, which is likely a function of the necessity to take the development of a mass production process further. While the Chinese press indicates that China is “close” to mass production of printed OLED displays, if the TCL fab is to be the facility that spearheads that production, it might be a number of year before we see actual product.
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