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Japan Display CEO hints at strong Apple orders ahead of
new iPhone launch
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[September 03, 2015]
By Ritsuko Ando and Reiji Murai
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan Display Inc's new
chief executive said on Thursday the screen maker's "biggest client",
widely understood to refer to Apple Inc, is increasing orders
ahead of the expected launch of a new iPhone this month.
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Mitsuru Homma, who was appointed CEO in June, said weakness in
China's smartphone market, the world's biggest, amid that country's
broader economic slowdown was not affecting the orders for display
screens it was getting from its top client.
"They're coming to us with more orders, saying 'give us more, give
us more'. They keep increasing," he told Reuters in an interview.
Apple is expected to unveil the new iPhone at an event on Sept. 9.
Some analysts have raised concerns that the planned introduction of
a new feature called Force Touch, which distinguishes between light
taps and presses, could cause production hiccups.
Asked about the new iPhone, Homma said: "There's difficult
technology being used... But I think ramp-up is going well."
Japan Display shares rose as much as 5.5 percent on Thursday after
Homma's comments before finishing up 3.8 percent at 379 yen. The
benchmark Nikkei 225 average index rose 0.5 percent.
Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook last week reassured shareholders
about the strength of the Chinese market for iPhones after a slump
in China's stock market and the devaluation of the yuan rattled
investors.
It is unclear whether strong orders from Apple mean the U.S. company
is more bullish about the prospects of its new iPhone than previous
models, or whether it is placing more orders with Japan Display at
the expense of other suppliers. Japan Display does not reveal the
total size of its business with Apple.
Some analysts see Japan Display's dependence on Apple as a concern,
particularly given a slowing Chinese market.
"Although the strong relationship with Apple... is certainly
positive, Apple's specifications are also quite high and we estimate
profitability is lower than on other Japan Display products," Credit
Suisse analyst Mika Nishimura said in a report on Thursday.
NO SHARP DEAL YET
Japan Display was formed in a government-backed deal in 2012 from
the ailing display units of Sony Corp, Toshiba Corp and Hitachi Ltd.
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It initially struggled against Sharp Corp and other Asian rivals but
it has been recovering due to strong Apple orders. In contrast,
Sharp sought a $1.9 billion bailout in May due to its shrinking
display business.
Investors have speculated that Japan Display could merge with
Sharp's display business to create a more stable display maker,
since both cater to high-end smartphone makers.
Sources have said Sharp was considering selling a stake in its
display business to state-controlled fund Innovation Network
Corporation of Japan, which is Japan Display's top shareholder. The
fund could broker a merger, they say.
Homma said the company was not currently considering a merger with
Sharp, although he did not rule out a future deal.
"We're currently in the midst of various restructuring measures. We
don't have the capacity to consider such a move, and we haven't been
asked to do so by our major shareholder either," he said.
"I think there might be reasons such discussions haven't come my
way. But when such talks come, it will probably come suddenly."
(Editing by Stephen Coates and Muralikumar Anantharaman)
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