Corning Expands Taiwan Glass Facility

CORNING, N.Y. & TAINAN, Taiwan, March 6 -- Corning Inc. has begun to expand its liquid crystal display (LCD) glass manufacturing facility in the Tainan Science-based Industrial Park, Taiwan.

A ceremony yesterday kicked off construction at the plant, which Corning announced in November. The company said adding melting capability to the Taiwan plant will make Corning the only glass substrate supplier with four fully integrated manufacturing facilities located in all three of the key LCD-producing regions: Japan, Korea and Taiwan -- a key part of Corning's long-term strategy to significantly increase its LCD glass manufacturing capacity.

The expanded facility will be operational in 2004 and is expected to produce glass substrates to supply the growing number of customers installing fifth generation LCD fabrication lines, Corning said.

Corning said it expects its Display Technologies business revenue to grow by 20 to 40 percent annually through 2006, with much of this growth centered in its Taiwan operations.

By adding melting capability, Corning's Taiwan plant becomes the company's fourth fully integrated manufacturing facility, joining plants in Shizuoka, Japan, and two Samsung Corning Precision (SCP) plants in Gumi and Asan, South Korea. SCP is Corning's equity venture with Samsung. Corning also operates a glass melting and forming plant in Harrodsburg, Ky.

Corning is also expanding the Shizuoka and Harrodsburg facilities and SCP's Asan plant.

Peter F. Volanakis, president of Corning Technologies, told investors in February that Corning expects more than 70 percent of all desktop computer monitors to be LCD by 2006.

For more information, visit: www.corning.com