Corning to Expand LCD Glass Capacity

CORNING, N.Y., Nov. 6 -- Corning Inc. announced it will add melting and forming lines to its Taiwan plant to make it a fully integrated LCD glass manufacturing facility.

Construction of the melting operation will begin during the first quarter of 2003. Corning said it expects to produce large-generation glass by early 2004 for customers installing large-generation LCD fabrication lines.

Corning said the expansion project will make it the only glass substrate supplier with fully integrated manufacturing capacity in all three of the key LCD-producing regions, joining its plant in Shizuoka, Japan, and two Samsung Corning Precision plants in Gumi and Asan, South Korea. Corning also operates a glass melting and forming plant in Harrodsburg, Ky.

The rapid growth of the flat panel display industry and the movement to larger glass sheets by LCD manufacturers has continued to increase demand for LCD glass substrates year after year, Corning said. Glass demanded by Taiwan's AMLCD industry, which is focused on large displays used in LCD desktop monitors, notebook computers and LCD-TVs, has more than doubled in volume in last year, the company said.

For more information, visit: www.corning.com