With all the talk about the Global Economic Situation, you might expect that things are a bit slow for the world's TV makers.
Not so – massive demand for the latest eighth-generation LCD screens means that the world's biggest manufacturers are struggling to supply enough screens, even though they're working at full tilt.
The demand is largely coming from China, driven by government measures to boost sales of consumer electronics.
And it's meant LG has rushed to open a new LCD production line at its plant in Paju, S. Korea (below) – six months ahead of schedule.
The new line, which can make 20,000 display panels a month, lifts production to well over 80,000 panels a month when operating at full capacity.
Which is just what it's doing now as the demand from China just keeps on growing.
LG is the second-largest manufacturer of LCD TV panels in the world. Market-leader Samsung is also hurrying to ramp up output of the eighth-generation screens, and last month opened a second line at its joint venture with Sony, S-LCD.
The 2.2x2.5m eighth-generation glass substrates (below) are particularly suited to the manufacture of larger LCD screens, each one able to yield six 52in panels or eight 46in screens.
