傳夏普讓步 鴻海持股可逾10％
〔編譯楊芙宜、記者蔡乙萱／綜合報導〕鴻夏戀出現最新進展，華爾街日報引述夏普資深主管週四表示，夏普體認到與鴻海資本結盟協商的最大障礙就是夏普收益不穩，因此願意讓步，包括接受讓鴻海持股比例超過十％，以完成注資入股協議。不過，此消息並未獲得鴻海方面的證實。
要 求不具名的夏普主管向記者透露，現在已「不可能」要求去履行三月達成的最初協議。雙方三月達成協議，由鴻海以每股五五○日圓取得夏普九．九％股權、總投資 金額六六九億日圓（約八．一九億美元），但隨後夏普股價重挫，鴻海八月時決定重新與夏普協商合作事宜。夏普股價週四收一七一日圓。
該夏普高 層表示，「如果不能照原先條款完成協議，我們基本上就將做出讓步，這也是顯而易見的。」他說，夏普願意讓步，包括允許鴻海持股超過十％，以便能完成雙方合 作的協議。夏普原先希望鴻海持股比例不超過十％。根據日本法律，持股超過十％的股東具有額外權限，包括有權向法院聲請解散公司，夏普不願經營權因此受限 制。
對此，鴻海發言人表示，兩家公司仍在協商，並維持合作關係，但婉拒具體說明細節。
八月以來「鴻夏戀」協商陷僵局，夏普說，協商無法取得進展的重要障礙就是夏普收益盈虧難以預料。夏普今年兩度大砍營收預測，十一月最新財報顯示，全年淨損從四月、八月分別預估的三○○億日圓、二五○○億日圓，再擴大至四五○○億日圓。
夏普高層說，公司營收獲利展望急遽惡化，讓鴻海很難說服股東投資夏普是值得的；夏普雖希望藉由達成下半年業績目標來證明公司情況已經穩定，但恐怕在與鴻海的入股協商的截止期限之前不會出現。
夏普與鴻海最初協議交易完成期限為明年三月底，夏普必須在此之前同意新合作條件、延長協商期限，或取消注資合作計畫。
2011.9.5 Japan's Sharp to stop sales of Galapagos tablets
TOKYO — Japan's Sharp Corp. said Thursday it will stop production and sales of the original editions of its "Galapagos" tablet computer, just nine months after it was launched.要 求不具名的夏普主管向記者透露，現在已「不可能」要求去履行三月達成的最初協議。雙方三月達成協議，由鴻海以每股五五○日圓取得夏普九．九％股權、總投資 金額六六九億日圓（約八．一九億美元），但隨後夏普股價重挫，鴻海八月時決定重新與夏普協商合作事宜。夏普股價週四收一七一日圓。
該夏普高 層表示，「如果不能照原先條款完成協議，我們基本上就將做出讓步，這也是顯而易見的。」他說，夏普願意讓步，包括允許鴻海持股超過十％，以便能完成雙方合 作的協議。夏普原先希望鴻海持股比例不超過十％。根據日本法律，持股超過十％的股東具有額外權限，包括有權向法院聲請解散公司，夏普不願經營權因此受限 制。
對此，鴻海發言人表示，兩家公司仍在協商，並維持合作關係，但婉拒具體說明細節。
八月以來「鴻夏戀」協商陷僵局，夏普說，協商無法取得進展的重要障礙就是夏普收益盈虧難以預料。夏普今年兩度大砍營收預測，十一月最新財報顯示，全年淨損從四月、八月分別預估的三○○億日圓、二五○○億日圓，再擴大至四五○○億日圓。
夏普高層說，公司營收獲利展望急遽惡化，讓鴻海很難說服股東投資夏普是值得的；夏普雖希望藉由達成下半年業績目標來證明公司情況已經穩定，但恐怕在與鴻海的入股協商的截止期限之前不會出現。
夏普與鴻海最初協議交易完成期限為明年三月底，夏普必須在此之前同意新合作條件、延長協商期限，或取消注資合作計畫。
2011.9.5 Japan's Sharp to stop sales of Galapagos tablets
The Osaka-based electronics maker said it will no longer produce its 5.5-inch and 10.8-inch screens, as Apple's iPhone and iPad continue to dominate the Japanese market.
It will, however, continue to make the 7-inch model that was launched last month for Internet and mobile phone firm eAccess, a Sharp spokeswoman said.
"This is a new and expanding market. Many new products and services have been launched. We believe (the older editions) have fulfilled the purposes that they were designed for," she said.
The company declined to discuss sales figures or performance of the products, only saying the Galapagos business will continue with the eAccess model.
"We believe the market for electronic books will continue to expand. We are continuing our business in the segment" with the 7-inch model, the Sharp spokeswoman said.
Local media said Sharp was effectively pulling out of the market, with Galapagos' sales suffering as consumers opted instead for iPhones and iPads.
Sharp launched the original editions of "Galapagos" in December in a shift, the company said, from conventional one-off sales of stand-alone products to devices that will continue to "evolve" through software updates.
The 5.5-inch screen model with a trackball allowed one-handed operation and was intended for commuters on crowded trains, while the 10.8-inch screen version accommodated a two-page magazine spread for home users.
Sharp sold the products only via mail or Internet-based orders.
But Apple's iPhone with a 3.5-inch screen and iPad with a 9.7-inch screen have dominated the Japanese market, despite aggressive efforts by Japanese and foreign manufacturers to expand their influence.
 | ||
| Sharp said it will no longer produce the 5.5-inch and 10.8-inch Galapagos tablet computers (AFP/File, Yoshikazu Tsuno) |
Sharp to build solar power stations in Japan
2011/06/25
Sharp Corp. is building a solar power station in Italy. (Sharp Corp.)
OSAKA
--Sharp Corp. plans to design, build and operate solar power stations
in Japan that it expects to become a major money spinner in the
aftermath of the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
"It is high time that we build many solar power stations in Japan," President Mikio Katayama told a shareholders meeting in Osaka on June 23. "We will expand the solar power business as a growth engine, along with liquid crystal display (LCD) panels."
The company is already working with Italy's largest power company to build solar power stations in Italy and elsewhere, and has acquired a major U.S. developer of solar power stations.
Sharp's officials expect demand for renewable energy to rise globally following the Fukushima accident, but the current high price of solar energy will be a major obstacle for their strategy.
Some estimates put the cost required to generate one kilowatt-hour of electricity with solar power at as high as 35-39 yen, compared with 7 yen for nuclear power.
The average household electricity charge in Japan is about 22 yen per kilowatt-hour. Katayama said Sharp will try to enhance the efficiency of solar power generation equipment and lower its cost.
Another challenge will be finding construction sites in Japan if the company's strategy requires the efficiencies of scale of large solar power stations.
However, prices of solar panels dropped 30 percent this year as Chinese manufacturers increased shipments and demand fell in Europe, according to Sharp.
The company says solar power generation costs have fallen to the same level as household electricity charges in sunny regions such as California and southern Europe.
"A temporary gap in supply and demand could lead to an explosive growth of the market," Toshishige Hamano, Sharp's executive vice president, said.
Building and operating solar power stations would give Sharp a strategic position in the solar power sector, offering the prospect of stable earnings, as solar panel prices fall and competition heats up.
Sharp has been refocusing on solar power generation and other businesses to lessen its dependence on LCD panels, which face intensifying price competition globally.
Last year, the company introduced Galapagos, a mobile information terminal, and started an electronic book distribution service.
It is also concentrating on development and sales of light-emitting diode lights.
"By focusing on consumer needs, we aim to accumulate hits rather than going for a home run," Katayama said.
By DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI
The facility, considered the most expensive manufacturing site ever built in Japan, started churning out liquid-crystal display panels last month, and Sharp's new flagship televisions featuring the energy-efficient LCD panels go on sale in the U.S. next month. Sharp moved forward the factory's planned opening by six months, saying the new plant would help it be more competitive.
"When
you look to the next 10 or 20 years, the existing industrial model
doesn't have a future," Toshihige Hamano, Sharp's executive vice
president in charge of the Sakai facility, said in an interview. "We had
to change the very concept of how to run a factory."
Located in Sakai city along Osaka prefecture's waterfront, the complex represents Japanese industry's biggest gamble in LCD panels to remain competitive with rivals from South Korea, Taiwan, and China.
The factory's size accommodates two main factors. One is the size of the glass used to make the LCDs. Sharp is using the industry's biggest, or "10th generation," sheets, which allow the company to produce 18 40-inch LCD panels from a single substrate—more than double the eight 40-inch panels per sheet it uses at its other LCD television panel-making factory.
The other factor: Sharp has decided to try and cut costs by moving suppliers on site, a kind of hyper-"just-in-time" delivery system.
The plant currently employs 2,000 people—roughly half from Sharp and half from its suppliers—although the work force will ultimately reach 5,000 as it adds production of solar panels as well.
It remains to be seen whether it makes sense for Sharp to keep seeking ever more-sophisticated production in Japan, or, as competitors have, to simply use less advanced production techniques at lower costs in places like China.
CLSA research analyst Atul Goyal warned in a report last month that the company is making a mistake by "chasing technology" with the new factory.
In the past, such efforts by Japanese electronics makers have resulted in costly capital investments, only to be confronted with limited appetite for cutting-edge technology and then eventually outflanked by a cheaper alternative.
![[SHARP]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/MK-AZ779A_SHARP_NS_20091129183324.gif)
Even
Sharp's Mr. Hamano acknowledged that the company only gave the green
light to proceed during a boom period for LCD-panel demand, and that a
similar choice might not be made in today's market.
Rival Samsung Electronics Co. has said it is looking into building a new LCD-panel factory using even bigger glass sheets than Sharp, while LG Display Co. has said it plans to build a new factory in China using current glass size.
Sharp announced the Sakai project two years ago when LCD demand was surging and the company had produced five straight years of record profit. When consumer spending ground to a halt in late 2008, Sharp didn't cut costs and curb production quickly enough. Saddled with excess inventory, Sharp posted the first annual loss in nearly 60 years in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009.
The experience taught Sharp a painful lesson that its supply chain needed to be leaner and its production more efficient, especially if the factory was going to be in Japan, where the strong yen and expensive labor force put the company at a disadvantage to its Asian competitors.
Sharp aims to streamline the costly LCD-panel production process by moving 17 outside suppliers and service providers inside its factory walls to work as "one virtual company."
In the past, Sharp kept suppliers within driving distance. Now they are all within the same facility. Supplies are sent not by truck from a nearby factory but by automated trolleys snaking from one building to another.
The suppliers, which include Asahi Glass Co. and Dai Nippon Printing Co., built and paid for their own facilities and are renting the land from Sharp.
Despite their location inside the plant, Sharp says its suppliers are permitted to sell their products to other companies.
At Sakai, Sharp has also linked its computer systems with suppliers so an order to the factory alerts suppliers right away. In the past, Sharp would email or call suppliers and place orders, creating a longer lag time.
Sharp wouldn't disclose how much, if any, cost savings will result from manufacturing LCD panels at Sakai, but analysts estimate a 5% to 10% savings.
Corning Inc. the world's largest maker of LCD glass substrates, built a factory next to Sharp's Sakai plant. Corning says the arrangement reduced total order cycle time from an average of one to two weeks to a matter of hours. Corning also says the proximity reduced the damage risk in transporting massive glass sheets on trucks.
While Sharp is a long-standing customer, Corning said it was concerned initially that building a factory on site would mean that it was "hitching its wagon" to Sharp since it's the only customer for such large glass substrates. Ultimately, Corning decided to proceed based on its faith in Sharp's Sakai plans.
"There's nothing like it anywhere," said James Clappin, president of Corning Display Technologies.
Write to Daisuke Wakabayashi at Daisuke.Wakabayashi@wsj.com
"It is high time that we build many solar power stations in Japan," President Mikio Katayama told a shareholders meeting in Osaka on June 23. "We will expand the solar power business as a growth engine, along with liquid crystal display (LCD) panels."
The company is already working with Italy's largest power company to build solar power stations in Italy and elsewhere, and has acquired a major U.S. developer of solar power stations.
Sharp's officials expect demand for renewable energy to rise globally following the Fukushima accident, but the current high price of solar energy will be a major obstacle for their strategy.
Some estimates put the cost required to generate one kilowatt-hour of electricity with solar power at as high as 35-39 yen, compared with 7 yen for nuclear power.
The average household electricity charge in Japan is about 22 yen per kilowatt-hour. Katayama said Sharp will try to enhance the efficiency of solar power generation equipment and lower its cost.
Another challenge will be finding construction sites in Japan if the company's strategy requires the efficiencies of scale of large solar power stations.
However, prices of solar panels dropped 30 percent this year as Chinese manufacturers increased shipments and demand fell in Europe, according to Sharp.
The company says solar power generation costs have fallen to the same level as household electricity charges in sunny regions such as California and southern Europe.
"A temporary gap in supply and demand could lead to an explosive growth of the market," Toshishige Hamano, Sharp's executive vice president, said.
Building and operating solar power stations would give Sharp a strategic position in the solar power sector, offering the prospect of stable earnings, as solar panel prices fall and competition heats up.
Sharp has been refocusing on solar power generation and other businesses to lessen its dependence on LCD panels, which face intensifying price competition globally.
Last year, the company introduced Galapagos, a mobile information terminal, and started an electronic book distribution service.
It is also concentrating on development and sales of light-emitting diode lights.
"By focusing on consumer needs, we aim to accumulate hits rather than going for a home run," Katayama said.
Sharp's New Plant Reinvents Japan Manufacturing Model
OSAKA—Sharp Corp.'s new production complex in western Japan is massive by any measure: It cost $11 billion to build and covers enough land to occupy 32 baseball stadiums. But it carries a meaning as large as its physical size. It's a litmus test for the future of Japanese high-tech manufacturing.
The facility, considered the most expensive manufacturing site ever built in Japan, started churning out liquid-crystal display panels last month, and Sharp's new flagship televisions featuring the energy-efficient LCD panels go on sale in the U.S. next month. Sharp moved forward the factory's planned opening by six months, saying the new plant would help it be more competitive.
Sharp
Sharp's new facility in Sakai city is considered the most expensive manufacturing site ever built in Japan.
Located in Sakai city along Osaka prefecture's waterfront, the complex represents Japanese industry's biggest gamble in LCD panels to remain competitive with rivals from South Korea, Taiwan, and China.
The factory's size accommodates two main factors. One is the size of the glass used to make the LCDs. Sharp is using the industry's biggest, or "10th generation," sheets, which allow the company to produce 18 40-inch LCD panels from a single substrate—more than double the eight 40-inch panels per sheet it uses at its other LCD television panel-making factory.
The other factor: Sharp has decided to try and cut costs by moving suppliers on site, a kind of hyper-"just-in-time" delivery system.
The plant currently employs 2,000 people—roughly half from Sharp and half from its suppliers—although the work force will ultimately reach 5,000 as it adds production of solar panels as well.
It remains to be seen whether it makes sense for Sharp to keep seeking ever more-sophisticated production in Japan, or, as competitors have, to simply use less advanced production techniques at lower costs in places like China.
CLSA research analyst Atul Goyal warned in a report last month that the company is making a mistake by "chasing technology" with the new factory.
In the past, such efforts by Japanese electronics makers have resulted in costly capital investments, only to be confronted with limited appetite for cutting-edge technology and then eventually outflanked by a cheaper alternative.
Rival Samsung Electronics Co. has said it is looking into building a new LCD-panel factory using even bigger glass sheets than Sharp, while LG Display Co. has said it plans to build a new factory in China using current glass size.
Sharp announced the Sakai project two years ago when LCD demand was surging and the company had produced five straight years of record profit. When consumer spending ground to a halt in late 2008, Sharp didn't cut costs and curb production quickly enough. Saddled with excess inventory, Sharp posted the first annual loss in nearly 60 years in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009.
The experience taught Sharp a painful lesson that its supply chain needed to be leaner and its production more efficient, especially if the factory was going to be in Japan, where the strong yen and expensive labor force put the company at a disadvantage to its Asian competitors.
Sharp aims to streamline the costly LCD-panel production process by moving 17 outside suppliers and service providers inside its factory walls to work as "one virtual company."
In the past, Sharp kept suppliers within driving distance. Now they are all within the same facility. Supplies are sent not by truck from a nearby factory but by automated trolleys snaking from one building to another.
The suppliers, which include Asahi Glass Co. and Dai Nippon Printing Co., built and paid for their own facilities and are renting the land from Sharp.
Despite their location inside the plant, Sharp says its suppliers are permitted to sell their products to other companies.
At Sakai, Sharp has also linked its computer systems with suppliers so an order to the factory alerts suppliers right away. In the past, Sharp would email or call suppliers and place orders, creating a longer lag time.
Sharp wouldn't disclose how much, if any, cost savings will result from manufacturing LCD panels at Sakai, but analysts estimate a 5% to 10% savings.
Corning Inc. the world's largest maker of LCD glass substrates, built a factory next to Sharp's Sakai plant. Corning says the arrangement reduced total order cycle time from an average of one to two weeks to a matter of hours. Corning also says the proximity reduced the damage risk in transporting massive glass sheets on trucks.
While Sharp is a long-standing customer, Corning said it was concerned initially that building a factory on site would mean that it was "hitching its wagon" to Sharp since it's the only customer for such large glass substrates. Ultimately, Corning decided to proceed based on its faith in Sharp's Sakai plans.
"There's nothing like it anywhere," said James Clappin, president of Corning Display Technologies.
Write to Daisuke Wakabayashi at Daisuke.Wakabayashi@wsj.com
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