SCHOTT’s South Korean venture was a factory for processing large-format TFT-LCD glass substrates—not a maker of finished LCD panels or a consumer display brand. Created with Japanese company Kuramoto Seisakusho, Schott-Kuramoto Processing Korea was located in Ochang and supplied glass for displays made by Asian manufacturers.
What SCHOTT launched in South Korea
The venture, Schott-Kuramoto Processing Korea Co. Ltd., processed large-format glass substrates used in thin-film-transistor liquid-crystal displays (TFT-LCDs). SCHOTT supplied the glass, while Kuramoto contributed substrate-processing technology. The work took place farther upstream than assembling a monitor or television: it prepared the glass material for display-panel manufacturers.
Who partnered with SCHOTT, and where was the plant?
SCHOTT, a German glassmaker, partnered with Japan’s Kuramoto Seisakusho. The plant was in Ochang Science Park, about 60 miles south of Seoul, according to EE Times’ February 2007 report. SCHOTT held a 75% stake and Kuramoto 25%, a split reported both in that account and in SCHOTT’s November 2005 announcement.
How much did the Korean venture cost?
EE Times reported the Korean joint venture as a $144 million project in February 2007. An earlier figure is not directly comparable: SCHOTT’s November 2005 announcement described a €150 million program covering TFT-LCD glass-substrate production in both Jena, Germany, and South Korea. Within that broader program, SCHOTT said the Korean production site would cost €90 million. These figures refer to different dates and investment scopes, not interchangeable estimates of one project.
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What did the facility make, and how much could it produce?
The plant processed glass substrates for large-format TFT-LCD panels. In February 2007, EE Times reported monthly capacity of 40,000 fifth-generation units and 37,000 seventh-generation sheets. The report expected the operation to reach full capacity by August 2007. These are historical capacity figures reported at launch, not current output.
The generation labels identify substrate formats used in display manufacturing; the report does not specify substrate dimensions. It describes two capacity measures—units for fifth-generation material and sheets for seventh-generation material—so they should not be added together as if they were identical units.
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Which products and customers was the glass intended for?
The processed substrates were intended for flat-panel displays used in PC monitors, notebooks and televisions. EE Times named Samsung Electronics and LG.Philips LCD among the Korean display makers the venture aimed to supply, along with other Asian panel manufacturers. The venture made material for those manufacturers; it did not itself produce the finished consumer products.
How the venture developed
- 24 November 2005: SCHOTT announced a €150 million TFT-LCD glass-substrate investment program covering Jena and South Korea. It described the Korean site as a €90 million project with Kuramoto, said series production was planned for late 2006 and projected about 350 new jobs. These were announced plans, as reported in SCHOTT’s release.
- 3 April 2006: South Korean business newspaper Hankyung reported the Ochang joint venture’s formal launch and a first-phase investment of $115 million. It said the plant would supply Samsung Electronics, LG Philips LCD and other Asian panel makers. This was an earlier, first-phase figure; Hankyung’s report does not make it the same scope as the $144 million total reported in 2007.
- 22–23 February 2007: EE Times described the operating venture as a $144 million joint venture and reported its monthly capacity figures and expected full-capacity date. The article quoted SCHOTT management-board member Karl-Peter Merz calling it “the biggest single investment outside Germany in terms of our LCD business.”
Why the investment mattered to SCHOTT
The venture paired SCHOTT’s large-format glass supply with Kuramoto’s processing expertise near major Asian display customers. In its 2005 announcement, SCHOTT forecast that the display-glass segment would grow 20% to 30% per year. That was the company’s market forecast at the time, not a current growth rate.
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