JDI announces restructuring plan including 30% labor reduction and OLED business transformation

Japanese display panel maker JDI (Japan display) announced a restructuring proposal on July 9 that includes the reduction manpower about 3,700 jobs in 30% of group employees and securing external fund. According to the Nippon Keizai and Yomiuri newspapers report, JDI will reduce about 3,500 people, mainly assembly plants in China and the Philippines and about 200 people from their own country as well as decided to suspend operation of Nomi factory this year which LCD production plant located in Ishikawa. It is said, Nomi plant will be used as an OLED production base.

JDI, which was launched in 2012 through the integration of Hitachi, Toshiba and Sony’s liquid crystal business, is reportedly suffering from deteriorating performance due to business depression of LCD and OLED business transition in recent years. So, the company carried out structural reforms for the first time in five years and the LCD panel production line will be reviewed to cover a loss of 150 billion yen in the fiscal year ending March 2018, foreign sources said.

In addition, it is reported that JDI will receive a loan of 110 billion yen from the main bank, which is guaranteed by the Industrial Development Organization, the largest shareholder and private-equity fund of JDI. Three major banks, including Mizuho Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Group and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust, are planning to support new granting of credit, the Nihon Keizai newspaper reported.

Accordingly, JDI’s conversion of OLED business is expected to accelerate. “There is no future without OLED,” said Higashii Riki, chairman of JDI. “We will increase the cost of R & D in this sector.”

JDI highlighted the advantages such as brightness and contrast ration of OLED which has exhibited 5.2 inch FHD flexible OLED with RGB structure at SID 2016 and FULL ACTIVE ™ FLEX OLED with 5.5 inch FHD and LCD were compared at SID 2017.

<JDI’s FULL ACTIVE ™ FLEX OLED and LCD comparison>

In addition, it is known to be in mess production testing and carried in Gen6 OLED evaporators in the first quarter of 2017. It is worth of notice whether JDI can overcome the current crisis with structural reform and OLED business transformation.