Electronics firm Sharp is to start up its LCD plant two months ahead of schedule.

Its Kameyama Plant No. 2 will begin processing glass substrates for LCD panels later this month.

The new plant will engineer the latest "eighth-generation" (8G) LCD glass panels, which are the largest in the world.

New 8G panels have around double the surface area of the sixth-generation glass substrates, which are produced at the company's first Kameyama plant.

The new glass substrates will be manufactured for LCD panels used in 40-inch and 50-inch class LCD televisions. New production methods at the plant will also cut production lead times in half, Sharp said.

A number of fuel cells have been incorporated into the design of the facility, in order to boost its eco-friendly credentials.

Platinum and other pgms are used in the manufacturing process of LCD glass and are also needed in most fuel cell technology.

Ÿ Adfero Ltd