“Taiwan’s Hon Hai Precision Industry Co offered to buy Sharp Corp’s struggling liquid panel display business and plans to seek funding from Apple Inc, the Nikkei business daily reported on Monday,” Makiko Yamazaki, Ritsuko Ando, and J.R. Wu report for Reuters.
“The report did not specify how much Hon Hai, also known as Foxconn, was willing to pay for the loss-making operations, but said it would seek funding from Apple, a key Sharp customer,” Yamazaki, Ando, and Wu report. “Osaka-based Sharp was once a highly profitable manufacturer of premium TVs and a favoured screen supplier to Apple and others, but it has come under heavy pricing pressure from Asian rivals. In May, it sought a bailout of roughly $1.9 billion from banks and promised to cut 5,000 jobs, or 10 percent of its staff.”
“Tie-up talks between Hon Hai and Sharp fell through in 2012 after the Japanese company baulked at demands that it said would have given the Taiwanese firm too much control,” Yamazaki, Ando, and Wu report. “The two corporations remained in contact and jointly operate a plant in Osaka, western Japan, that makes large LCD panels.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Poor Sharp really is in desperate need of some good news.
SEE ALSO:
Apple suppliers Sharp, Foxconn in talks for LCD joint venture – August 24, 2015
Beleaguered Sharp’s problems present an opportunity for mighty Apple – May 15, 2015
Apple display supplier Sharp warns on ability to stay afloat after $1.9 billion loss – May 14, 2015
Apple iPhone display supplier Sharp boosts operating profit – August 1, 2014
Sharp dedicates entire LCD plant to Apple – June 30, 2014
Hon Hai in no hurry to finalize Sharp deal – June 26, 2013
Sharp to replace chairman, president after losses – May 14, 2013
It’s a pity. I had a Sharp LCD TV. It was good. But I upgraded from a 32″ to a 42″ and my current TV is a Sony. I also have a Sharp fridge. They make good consumer electronics. But they are probably struggling against Samsung and LG who can undercut them on price.
That sounds like an arrangement where AAPL gets roped in to place some skin in the game and Hon Hai gets control and disporportionately far less financial exposure. There must be a reason why AAPL or its competitors hasn’t purchased Sharp – there are other LCD screen suppliers with more solid financials to partner with. Or if Hon Hai values that acquisition so greatly, they may want to rustle up their own loot
There are numerous reasons that I vote with my purchasing power to support Sharp, and others, over the South Korean companies Samsung and LG.
1. Samsung is a convicted IP thief. I don’t by my watches from some guy in a parking lot and I don’t buy my electronics from Samsung!
2. North Korea. Geopolitically it does not make sense to put all/most of the manufacturing eggs for any technology or product in one basket, one country, or one company. There are many potential sources of instability in the Asian region and long running sources of tension between countries, notably between N & S Korea, China and Japan, China and several other countries in the South China Sea., and on and on…
3. Japan is an ally of the US in the region, and Sharp has been a long time supplier/ally to Apple. Some level of loyalty to allies in their battle to survive against their sometimes sketchy rivals makes some long term strategic sense.
4. Etc……
3.
“Dad, I want to buy a new car. That’ll be $37,000. Thanks”