Neoptic & Seiko in e-paper deal

By securing access to Seiko Instruments Inc. manufacturing and technology strengths, Nemoptic becomes the first bistable LCD display supplier to offer immediate availability of high volume, competitively priced e-paper displays. Nemoptic, an e-paper display company for consumer and professional handheld devices, has agreed to subcontract manufacturing to SII. According to the terms of the agreement, Nemoptic will grant Seiko Instruments Inc. (SII) access to its BiNem® technology, enabling SII to produce high volumes of Nemoptic's bistable LCD display modules. The e-paper displays are available in black and white, gray scale or full-color rendering. The deal marks a significant step forward for Nemoptic as industry player that can now secure the immediate availability of large industrial volumes of zero-power e-paper displays offering high optical performance at a competitive cost. Nemoptic and SII have signed an agreement for three years, with an option for annual renewal for subsequent years. “The availability of a reliable high volume source will bring about a radical change in the marketplace for e-paper displays," said Jacques Noels, CEO of Nemoptic. “Seiko Instruments Inc. is the world leading producer of CSTN-LCD displays and it combines excellent technological expertise with a cost-competitive capability. We and our customers will benefit greatly from this partnership with SII ." The high volume manufacturing of Nemoptic's bistable LCD displays will take place at SII's Microtechno plant, located in Akita, Japan. SII's Microtechno plant has a worldwide reputation as one of the most modern sites for high volume production of color super-twist nematic liquid crystal displays (CSTN-LCD displays). Customers can expect to see the first units appear from the plant at end Q2 2007. “We are very satisfied to add Nemoptic to our list of innovative customers," said Kokichi Ito, Division Manager for the SII STN Display Division. “We believe that Nemoptic's BiNem technology is the best in the industry for e-paper applications, a market that we foresee will enjoy considerable growth in the short term." Recent reports indicate that the e-paper market is rapidly developing for a number of applications. Nemoptic has already entered the electronic shelf labels (ESL) marketplace, estimated at 6 – 10 billion units in the grocery sector alone. Nemoptic is currently exploring other market sectors including e-newspapers that can be updated electronically several times per day, e-books for educational and leisure applications, industrial applications in factory automation, logistics and remote metering systems, and a whole range of new consumer products. Nemoptic will continue to maintain independent production facilities at the plant in Sweden that produces BiNem display modules in small series. BiNem display modules are available to customers worldwide.