SOUTH KOREAN company Samsung Electronics officially opened its second production site in Slovakia on October 17. Based in the western town of Voderady, the site will bring Samsung’s number of LCD production lines to six by the end of the year. Over time, the plant will have 11 lines with a total annual production capacity of 10 million LCD modules. The company wants to reach full production capacity by 2011.
Samsung announced at the plant’s opening that its production plans have remained unchanged despite the global financial crisis. In fact, it is preparing to expand in Europe, its vice-president, Yeong-Duk Cho, said, as cited by Reuters.
"In the coming two to three years we need to prepare for expansion despite the financial crisis," he said. The company expects to raise its share in the European LCD market from the current 20 percent to 22 - 25 percent by 2011.
Samsung started building the Voderady plant last April. The total investment in the plant is projected to amount to €320 million and the labour force is expected to number 1,200 people. At present, 800 people work there.
The Voderady plant manufactured the first LCD modules in January. The modules are then shipped to the company’s plant in Galanta and the Sony plant in Nitra.
