SCREEN Finetech Solutions Co., Ltd. (SCREEN FT) and FUK Co., Ltd. have concluded an agreement for a comprehensive business partnership related to the manufacturing and sales of film and glass bonding equipment as well as abrasive cleaning equipment. The two companies are also considering a potential future capital tie-up based on the current agreement.

In recent years, the Internet of Things (IoT) has been attracting growing attention as a major driving force behind the development of a next-generation IT industry. As development progresses, flexible displays are expected to play an increasingly important role as viewing tools, particularly in vehicles and wearable devices, and available formats are likely to expand dramatically to accommodate various applications. To make this possible, the assembly processing segment of the panel manufacturing process requires the ability to handle more diversified products with similar improvements in both manufacturing quality and stability. It also needs greater automation along the entire production line.

As leaders in the display and converting industries, SCREEN FT and FUK have monitored these trends closely. This analysis eventually led to discussions between the companies regarding the possibility of creating a new solution-oriented business that merged SCREEN FT’s proprietary coating, surface processing and automation technologies with FUK’s specialized proprietary cleaning and bonding technologies, namely assembly processing systems such as its highly regarded abrasive cleaning and cover glass bonding equipment.

Following in-depth negotiations, SCREEN FT and FUK have now announced the conclusion of a comprehensive partnership agreement designed to combine both companies’ complementary core competencies, manufacturing technologies and sales and service strengths to create mutually beneficial operational synergies. The agreement will see the establishment of the organizational structure necessary to develop various new manufacturing systems that precisely target the needs of diverse clients in FUK’s core assembly processing business domain.

SCREEN FT and FUK are also using the current partnership agreement as an opportunity to consider a forward-looking capital tie-up that could support the strategic expansion of a next-generation display business. Both companies anticipate that such a move would help them to establish a position as de facto standard enterprises in this field and also allow them to make significant contributions to the improvement of customer satisfaction and the growth of the entire industry.

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