Sharp Holds Opening Ceremony for Second Plant in Mexico
Achieves Integrated Production―from Manufacture of LCD Modules to Assembly of LCD TVs

Sharp Corporation held an opening ceremony on October 15 for a second plant newly built inside the compound of Sharp Electrónica Mexico S.A. de C.V. (SEMEX), Sharp's production base in Mexico for LCD modules and LCD TVs destined for the North American market.

The Mexico Plant, located in the Mexican state of Baja California, started operation in 1997 as a color CRT TV manufacturing plant and began production of LCD TVs in 2003. To meet the burgeoning demand for LCD TVs in the North American market, Sharp constructed a second plant and began the integrated production of LCD TVs—from manufacture of LCD modules to assembly of LCD TVs—for the first time in North America. The start of operations at Plant No. 2 gives Sharp the ability to produce more LCD TVs and to supply them to the market in a timely manner.

The opening ceremony was attended by Mexico's Sub Secretariat of Economy Maria del Rocio Ruiz Chavez, Governor of Baja California Eugenio Elorduy Walther, Japan's Ambassador to Mexico Masaaki Ono, Chairman & CEO of Sharp Corporation Katsuhiko Machida, and representatives of partner companies.

For the past several years, demand for LCD TVs has been growing in North America. It is estimated to reach 23 million units in fiscal 2007, an increase of 1.5 times over the previous fiscal year. Moreover, with the spread of digital HDTV broadcasts, demand for large-screen full-HD models is expected to expand even further.