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Corning in Taiwan

Our vision
Corning Taiwan's vision is to be the world’s leading TFT-LCD glass substrate supplier, focused on providing the greatest total value to our customers while positively contributing to the lives and interests of our employees, our stakeholders and the communities where we operate.

A fast-growing corporation
Corning established its position in Taiwan’s display industry in 1971, when it formed the Pacific Glass Corporation (PGC) to produce cathode ray tubes(CRT) for TV. In 1973, Corning International Corporation was registered to bring Corning products to the Taiwan market (excluding the black and white CRT glass produced by PGC). Since that time, Corning has continuously improved its operations and expanded its scale to accommodate changing market opportunities.

As the LCD industry grew, Corning started its Display business in Taiwan to provide glass substrates for active matrix liquid crystal displays (LCDs), also known as thin film transistor liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCDs). Our premium-quality glass substrates are used in notebook computers, flat-panel desktop monitors, LCD TVs, and portable electronic and communications devices.

To meet growing customer needs, address government policies for industrial development, and increase our overall competitiveness, Corning Display Technologies Taiwan was registered in 2000 and began construction on its first glass substrate facility that same year. By May 2001, Corning announced the completion of its first TFT-LCD glass substrate finishing facility in Taiwan, located in the Tainan Science Based Industrial Park. To keep pace with the rapid growth of the industry, Corning expanded the capability of its Tainan facility to include melting operations in March 2004. With this expansion, the Tainan plant became a fully integrated LCD glass substrate manufacturing facility. 

In April 2004, Corning announced plans for a second LCD glass substrate manufacturing facility, located at the Central Taiwan Science Park in Taichung. The Taichung facility would focus on larger size glass substrates to meet the growing demand for LCD displays and televisions. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on September 16 of the same year. Guests included customers and government officials whose speeches acknowledged Corning’s contributions to the industry and anticipated continued collaboration in Taiwan.

In 2005, Corning rapidly completed a major expansion of the Tainan plant, which set records for the company as Corning continued to develop new processes and efficiencies for future capacity expansions.

The grand opening ceremony for the LCD glass manufacturing facility in Taichung was held on January 11, 2006. The Taichung facility is among the world’s largest LCD glass substrate manufacturing facilities and was designed to accommodate further expansion as needed based on customer demand.  The completion of this facility is considered a milestone in Corning history due to the scale of the plant and speed with which it was completed. It is estimated that the Taichung facility is made of over 100,000 metric tons of steel -- equivalent to more than 10 Eiffel Towers or two Empire State Buildings. Construction of the Taichung plant mobilized well beyond 20,000,000 hours of labor (about 10,000 man-years).

To keep pace with market demand in Taiwan, Corning continues to expand its Taichung facility. Expansions to the plant were announced in October 2004, October 2005, April 2007, and February 2008. The Taichung facility manufactures Gen 5 and larger glass substrates, suited to meet the high demand of the LCD TV market. The glass currently manufactured at the facility is Corning’s award-winning EAGLE XG^® glass composition, the first glass substrate to contain no added heavy metals or halides.

Through the manufacturing facilities in Taichung and Tainan, Corning provides a reliable source of high-quality LCD substrates, local supply infrastructure, and market-leading technology that meets the demanding requirements of Taiwan’s display makers.

Corning International in Taiwan
Corning International in Taiwan manages business development and sales for Corning’s businesses, with the exception of Display Technologies. These include Optical Fiber, Photonics, Specialty Materials, Ophthalmic, Environmental Technologies, and Life Sciences. Corning International in Taiwan also oversees customer service, engineering support and technical support for these businesses.

Corning International plays an important role in new product business development for emerging markets and in maximizing local sales and marketing resources to establish strong corporate operating platforms in strategic markets.

Corning R&D in Taiwan
Corning Research Center Taiwan (CRCT) is Corning’s regional innovation gateway to customers, universities and government institutions in Taiwan. CRCT’s mission is to engage customers and institutions in Taiwan, match Corning’s technologies with the mega-trend opportunities in the region, and develop collaborations on innovative solutions to market needs.

CRCT was established in March 2006 and is located in the campus of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) in Hsin Chu. CRCT is part of Corning’s global R&D network and is linked to the central R&D complex at Sullivan Park in Corning, N.Y.

Recognition from The International Organization for Standardization
Based on responsible environmental protection systems and processes, our Tainan and Taichung facilities have earned ISO 14001 certifications from the International Organization for Standardization. Obtaining an ISO 14001 certificate means that our plants have the most rigid processes in place and are complying with the highest environmental regulations.

In addition, the Tainan and Taichung facilities have been ISO 9001 certified and have received OHSAS 18001 management system certification audits. ISO 9001 certification demonstrates that we have a documented, well-planned quality management system, which ensures consistency and improvement of processes, systems, and products.
Recognition from International Organization for Standardization

Based on responsible environmental protection systems and processes, our Tainan facility has earned ISO 14001 certification from International Organization for Standardization. Obtaining an ISO 14001 certificate means that our plant has the most rigid processes in place and is complying with the highest environmental regulations. In addition, the facility has obtained ISO 9001 Certification, which indicates that we have a well-documented and well-planned quality management system to ensure process, and simultaneous system and product improvement.

The image of Taiwan is provided by Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation & Communications, R.O.C.