Rebirth of Northland Technology
361 Seeking for Help (3)
"It can be realized! The plan to be put into production in mid-1992 does not mean that it will be put into production across the board. In the middle of next year, we only need to establish its pilot project!"
Cheng Yongxing quickly jumped up to explain.It is not good to brag too much, and this starts to have side effects.
"What do you mean? What is a pilot project?"
All LCD production lines are designed for mass production.
Take DTI's production line as an example, its production capacity is about 30,000 pieces a month.Close to 360,000 pieces throughout the year.The first generation line indicators of several different companies are also half a catastrophe.
If Optoelectronics builds a line, is it also necessary to build this scale?Is it also necessary to build a production line with a monthly output of 30,000?
Actually not!
Things must speak in terms of results.DTI has a production line with a monthly output of 30,000 pieces, but how many qualified products do they produce each month?It is 4200 tablets per month!
So logically, Optoelectronics only needs to build a pilot line with a monthly output of 4,000 in a single shift!
The pilot test, as the name suggests, is just a test line.
In this way, no matter the design idea, the construction period, and the construction cost, there will be a large percentage drop.The test base, if its cost is the same as the official line, then why test?
The equipment used in this test line, to put it bluntly, is an enlarged version of the test equipment in the optoelectronic laboratory!
Your production line needs a 100 million investment, I only need 10 million!Even if there is some waste, 20 or 30 million dollars should be able to win.
Even if the opponent's yield rate will rise over time, we can also run double shifts here!
The idea of this pilot line is the fundamental reason why Cheng Yongxing dared to enter the LCD industry with a few million dollars.This is the pain point of the first generation line: the yield rate.
————————
Of course, there is another purpose here.
What is the essential purpose of optoelectronics entering the LCD industry this time?
Is it making money?
Yes, it is not.
Short-term benefits are important, but long-term benefits are more important.
Optoelectronics can make money, but more importantly, let competitors not make money!By disrupting the situation, gain time and prevent more competitors from entering the market.
How to do this?Especially when the production capacity is insufficient, to grab the market of others?
Through price reduction!
For example, in a market, everyone sells apples for ten yuan a catty.At this time, someone suddenly called out a price of 2 yuan a catty.
Even if the number of apples at this price is small, it is a fatal blow to the entire market.
Everyone will wait and see, waiting for another person to sell it for two yuan a catty!
Long wait!
The purpose of optoelectronics entering the LCD industry is to monopolize!
Non-monopoly is not enough to win enough profits to feed the more gold wafer project!
————————
There is another problem, even if Cheng Yongxing can find enough funds to build a complete production line.Its production capacity, with an annual output of 360,000 pieces, is simply not what the market can afford in the first economic cycle!
IBM's notebooks are in hot style, but they are only hot in style, and only sold more than 100,000 units in 1992!
So as long as this production line is put into production, even if there is no competitor, its own output can directly knock out the first boom cycle!
In that case, no one really wants to make money.
————————
"In addition, this project did not start today. In fact, many related production line equipment requirements have been sent out a few months ago. The following work is to track and confirm."
In addition to the differences in size and yield, LCD devices do not require high technical indicators in other areas.Most of the equipment factories received the preliminary technical requirements from Optoelectronics and did not raise any objections.
The upsurge of overall solutions for LED production lines has just passed.Various equipment manufacturers, or in this wave of LED construction, have eaten the sweetness, or have suffered, but no one will ignore the request from optoelectronics.
Is this another overall solution?
There are some impatient manufacturers that have even begun to take action, and they will almost complete the samples if they fail.
In conscience, the equipment required for LCD production lines is much less difficult than wafers, regardless of size and production rate.It is more difficult than LED equipment, but the accuracy and other indicators are the same, only 10 microns!
From this perspective, it is possible to outsource the entire production line equipment.
But out of the consideration of controlling the core equipment, Cheng Yongxing still holds key equipment such as PECVD, ODF, and lithography machine in his hands.
Another obstacle restricting the new production line is the factory building, which is also well prepared.Optoelectronics started the construction of two factory buildings in March and June respectively, and one of them is about to be completed.
"Well, you convinced us."
What is the test line?Just experiment!Become meritorious, no penalty for mistakes, and it doesn't matter if you delay the time!
Of course, no one will really take money to make money, but the pressure is not so great.Everyone finally saw the dawn of success.
But what no one expected was that Optoelectronics had no plans to establish a formal line.
They just built a pilot line and a pilot line.Finally, a group of pilot lines defeated all competitors.
————————
"There is another question! The various materials required for the LCD project, including glass substrates, liquid crystal materials, polarizers, backlights, light guide plates, diffuser plates, as far as we know, most of these are not produced in China, what do you want? solve."
The problem of the industrial chain is another difficulty in the introduction of LCD technology.
"There are probably three types of raw materials here. The first is core materials, such as glass substrates and liquid crystal materials. For this part, domestic suppliers can be found."
The glass substrate, Bingfei's progress is still very smooth.They are now urging every day to ask when they can buy the goods.
The fact that glass can be used as an LED substrate has also attracted a lot of attention.This matter even attracted the attention of the LED industry association.
What a terrible news!It even caused the price of sapphire to fall.
Because of Cheng Yongxing's reputation in the LED field, many people have moved out of the bench, ready to publish big news at any time.
The consequence of this intensified rumor is that Cheng Yongxing himself believed a little bit.Maybe it really works.
—
The period from the late 1980s to the early 1990s is considered to be the first golden period of China's LCD industry. Companies such as Tianma have achieved great results in the fields of TNSTN LCD.
Under their leadership, China has initially established a relatively complete LCD industry chain.Many of the raw materials can be upgraded and improved to be used by TFT.
For example, there are manufacturers of liquid crystal materials in China.Huaqing University is quite accomplished in this area, and Cheng Yongxing is not ready to start anew.
Although TFT special liquid crystal has its particularity, it is not particularly difficult.In particular, the first-generation TFT does not require high performance parameters for liquid crystals.This part of the material can completely cooperate with domestic manufacturers to solve joint problems.
————————
"The second one is not available in China, but the technical content is relatively low.
In this part, we can base ourselves on domestic suppliers, and if the school is interested, we can intervene in this industry.After all, they are not too difficult."
This type of material has aroused everyone's interest.This can completely cultivate a batch of new enterprises.The LED industry chain has spawned many successful companies.
"The third type requires imports. All the materials needed in LCD production, if the supply system cannot be found in the country. I will be responsible for the import of this part of the raw materials."
Cheng Yongxing patted his chest, all in all.
"You are responsible for solving it, how do you solve it?"
A group of people are very curious.Does this young man have overseas connections?
"I will coordinate through the LED Industry Association. They may not be able to help us import semiconductor equipment, but there is absolutely no problem importing these raw materials!"
Photoelectric scientific research is not completely isolated in the world.
The Japanese have the Light Industry Technology Promotion Association, the LCD Industry Alliance, and the Optoelectronics has the LED Patent Alliance!
These companies in the LED Patent Alliance have formed a loose interest consortium with optoelectronics through patent authorization and large-screen consignment sales.
These resources are also available in the LCD era.
Technology sharing, resource sharing, not just for fun.This slogan has begun to have practical uses!
The raw materials involved in the LCD industry chain are not as sensitive as wafers.
For example, the backlight, a thin tube, is something worth embargoing.Even including liquid crystal materials, in fact, it can be completely resolved through imports.
The glass substrate can logically be solved by importing, but the transportation cost of that thing is too high to be cost-effective.
The only factor that can be considered for optoelectronics is the pressure from the Japanese industry, which has caused related manufacturers to be unable to supply optoelectronics.
Japan has indeed established a complete industrial chain for the LCD industry, but it does not mean that there are no other material suppliers in the world!For example, TFT LCD, the strength of German manufacturers is not weak.
Of course, if the raw materials in the LCD industry chain can be made domestically, it is better to make them domestically.In addition to the price factor, there is no need for this outlet to be wasted to outsiders.
At this point in time, the world's perception of TFT-LCD is only one of many LCD technologies, and no one would have thought that it would become the only one.
The tuyere of LCD has created a large number of monopolistic material and equipment suppliers such as Corning and American Materials.
Why can't this opportunity be given to Bing Fei, Ke Yi?
———————
After several general doubts were resolved, the atmosphere of the conversation quickly became enthusiastic.A series of support programs slowly took shape amidst the discussions.
There is another problem, which was briefly mentioned in the seminar, and that is the cost of input.
The school will devote huge resources to this project.This part of the resources, from a moral point of view, it is impossible for the school to invest in vain.It is fairer to convert this part of resources into company shares.
The LED project is over, a fait accompli.But on the new project, if you don't do anything, you can't explain it.