Sharp to Boost Small Flat-Panel Output

Sharp Corp., Japan’s largest liquid crystal display maker, plans to increase small flat-panel screen production 46% this year and 30% next year to fight against price declines in larger screens used in personal computers. The Osaka-based company, which made $1.1 billion worth of small thin-film transistor, or TFT, panels in the year ended last March, expects production to rise to about $1.7 billion worth this year and about $2 billion next year, said Hiroshi Saji, Sharp’s chief financial officer. Sharp estimates that prices for panels measuring 13 inches and larger through next March will drop by 30% as South Korean and Taiwanese makers boost production. Sharp’s small panels are used in Nintendo Co.’s Game Boy consoles, mobile phones and car-navigation devices.