By Greg Gao

(JW Insights) Oct 9 -- China’s display panel manufacturer TCL CSOT is currently working on relocating JOLED factory equipment to China. It aims to complete the equipment separation and transfer process within the year and is expected to start operating it next year, according to industry sources.

JOLED was formed through a merger of Panasonic and Sony’s OLED divisions in 2015, with the goal of developing large-sized OLED panels that could be produced at a lower cost by leveraging the technologies of both companies. However, the company has faced difficulties in expanding its market share and declared bankruptcy in March of this year, following many years of struggles to increase production capacity and revenues.

An industry insider said, “TCL CSOT has been investing 20 billion Yen (around $187 million) in JOLED since 2020 and has acquired an 11% stake. They have made significant efforts to secure OLED technology through JOLED. Meanwhile, TCL CSOT has also been developing inkjet printing technology, so they may want to leverage JOLED equipment for further development.”

In the OLED market last year, South Korea had an 81.3% market share, significantly surpassing China’s 17.9%, according to data from the Korean Display Industry Association. However, Chinese companies have been steadily improving their competitiveness, and it is estimated that China’s market share in the small and medium-sized OLED market will reach 40% this year.

Established in 2009 and headquartered in Shenzhen, TCL CSOT (TCL China Star Optoelectronics Technology) focuses on advanced display technologies such as Mini-LED, Micro-LED, OLED, and inkjet printing. It has four manufacturing centers in Shenzhen, Wuhan, Huizhou, and India.