Toshiba and Panasonic agree on LCD joint venture transfer

After completion of the share transfer transaction, TMD will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toshiba Group, and will change its name to "Toshiba Mobile Display Co., Ltd."

Established in 2002, TMD is an industry leader in small- and medium-sized LCDs for application in such products as mobile phones, portable PCs and in-vehicle displays. However, the company is now facing a very tough business environment: weak demand that is sharply down from last year, and continuous price erosion in small- and medium-sized LCD panels. In these circumstances, and as part of the Action Programs to improve profitability announced by Toshiba this January, TMD is now implementing restructuring initiatives in its LCD business, including closing certain manufacturing lines.