With 104 years of history that cover from the first mechanical pencil, the first TV set in Japan, and the world’s largest 10th-Generation LCD display production line, the Japanese Sharp Corporation, also known as the Father of LCD industry, has spent 4 years cementing an alliance with Foxconn in an effort to reestablish its famous brand. The outcomes of the Foxconn-Sharp alliance would be far reaching for both parties involved. Long-term predictions include drastic shifts in the global display panel industry in Taiwan or even that of the entire world. This alliance would provide Foxconn with the production technology and capacity for high-, medium-, and low-end small display screens as well as 20% of global production capacity for large scale tablets. These advantages only serve to bolster Foxconn’s most impressive list of clients and vertical integration capacities, and was recognized as a milestone for the development of the display panel industry.
I. Integration of customers, technologies, and capital - Taiwan-Japan partnership to create a new era of the display panel industry
II. Three-way struggle for high-end displays between Taiwan, Japan, and Korea
III. Conclusion: Innovation and collaboration are essential for survival
Figure 1 - Market share for high-end small LCD display screens in 2015 (%)