WitsView, a division of TrendForce, reports that large-size LCD panel shipments for this January totaled 57.47 million units, down 16.8% from a month ago. Most panel makers posted declining results, but Panasonic LCD and Sharp were able to grow their shipments against market headwinds because they had shorter base periods.
After several rounds of long and difficult negotiation, major electronics brand Sharp finally accepted the acquisition offer made by Taiwan-based contract manufacturer Foxconn (also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry) on February 25. This tie-up, which has been a trending topic within the global technology sector, will have a major and long-term impact on the display industry and the related panel application markets, according to WitsView, a division of TrendForce.
Unisplendour, the Hong Kong-based subsidiary of Chinese technology conglomerate Tsinghua Unigroup, announced on February 23 that its board decided to terminate their investment plan in U.S. data storage company Western Digital (WD). This announcement came after the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) sent a letter notifying Unisplendour that the agency will be reviewing the WD deal.