December 27, 2011 - BUSINESS WIRE -- Kyocera Corporation (NYSE:KYO, TOKYO:6971) completed a share transfer agreement with three investment funds operated by Japan Industrial Partners, Inc. to acquire all shares of Optrex Corporation, a specialized liquid crystal display (LCDs) manufacturer, to further strengthen and expand its LCD and touchscreen panel businesses.

Effective February 1, 2012, Optrex will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kyocera Corporation.

Kyocera's Corporate Thin Film Components Group develops, manufactures and markets small- and medium-sized LCDs for industrial applications worldwide. The company's business structure is designed to handle custom orders and respond to customer needs, manufacturing a wide range of products in small volumes, as well as larger ones.

OPTREX Corporation was founded in 1976 and is based at Arakawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan. The company president is Shinichi Inagaki. Optrex reports a capital of JPY4,075 million and employs 6,476 people in its manufacturing plants (Japan, China, and Thailand) and sales offices (Japan, China, Singapore, US, Germany).

Optrex manufactures LCDs for automotive application, with a customer base in Japan and internationally. Demand for LCDs used in industrial equipment and automotive applications is expected to steadily increase, Kyocera notes.

Kyocera expects that the acquisition will allow the company to further enhance the product lines of both its conventional industrial equipment applications and newly acquired automotive applications.

Since 2010, Kyocera has been expanding its capacitive touchscreen panel business, targeting thinness, strength and waterproof functionality for use in smartphones. Capacitive touchscreen panels are increasingly used in high-value-added products such as smartphones and tablet computers, forecast for high growth in the coming years. Optrex also possesses excellent production technology for touchscreen panels, thus by effectively combining both companies' product technologies and operating resources including customer bases, Kyocera also expects to further enhance and expand its touchscreen panel business.
     
Kyocera Corporation (NYSE:KYO, TOKYO:6971), the parent and global headquarters of the Kyocera Group, was founded in 1959 as a producer of fine ceramics. By combining these engineered materials with metals and plastics, and integrating them with other technologies, Kyocera has become a leading supplier of electronic components, telecommunications equipment, printers, copiers, solar power generating systems, semiconductor packages, cutting tools and industrial ceramics. For more information about Kyocera LCDs & Touchscreen Panels: http://global.kyocera.com/prdct/ios/lcd/index.html.

Visit our new Displays Manufacturing Channel on ElectroIQ.com!