Corning opens advanced tech center in Neihu

Corning Inc, the world’s top LCD glass supplier, has invested US$10 million to open an advanced technology center in Taiwan that will provide product design and development support to computers and smartphone makers, company executives said yesterday.

The Advanced Technology Center in Taipei’s Neihu District, aimed at helping customers cope with rapid changes in the field of consumer electronics, is Corning’s first application engineering center outside its headquarters in New York.

“This center aims to bring us closer to our customers. We hope to cooperate with local OEM [original equipment manufacturer] customers directly in developing and designing new products,” center director Connie Wang said. “And Taiwan has a cluster of OEMs.”

As Samsung Electronics Cor and Nokia Oyj have local operations, they will be among Corning’s target customers, the company said.

The center will also offer extensive resources to customers such as glass characterization, product analysis, prototyping and systems-level testing, which can shorten time-to-market for new products, Wang said.

By the end of the year, the center will hire more than 20 scientists and staffers, Wang said.

Separately, Corning said it was working with customers to develop a one-glass touch solution that integrates touch sensors with cover glass rather than sandwiching touch modules between two panes of glass.

Corning said it would ship the new product according to its customers’ timetable.

One-glass solution is one of the new technologies designed to make thinner and cost-saving touch screens for slim portable devices like tablets and mobile phones.

Corning yesterday also showcased its latest products, including touch glasses used in Asustek Computer Inc’s and Acer Inc’s new tablet devices, 3D imaging glasses, TV cover glasses used in Sony’s new high-end LCD TVs, and its future product — flexible displays.

Asked about prospects for the global LCD industry, Corning Display Technologies Taiwan president Alan Eusden said the company’s view had not changed.

Earlier this year, Corning slightly cut its forecast for the global glass market for the year to between 3.5 billion square feet and 3.7 billion square feet, from between 3.6 billion square feet to 3.8 billion square feet, citing slower-than-expected demand for notebook computers.

Eusden said Corning had not been affected by the Japanese earthquake and tsunami in March, adding that its facilities were fully operational.

He declined to comment further on the LCD industry’s outlook as the company was in a quiet period before releasing its latest financial results.