JOLED
{{short description|Japanese display manufacturer}}
{{Infobox company
| name = JOLED Inc.
| native_name = 株式会社
JOLED
| native_name_lang = ja
| foundation = {{Start date and age|2015|01|05}}
| defunct = {{End date|2023|03|27}}
| fate = Bankrupted
| location = Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan
| area_served =
| key_people = Tadashi Ishibashi (CEO and President)
| industry = Electronics
| products = OLEDs
| num_employees = 590
| homepage = {{URL|j-oled.com}}
}}
{{Nihongo|JOLED Inc.|{{Langx|ja|株式会社}} JOLED|Kabushiki-gaisha JOLED}} was a Japanese display technology company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, incorporated in 2015 as the result of a consolidation of the OLED business units of Panasonic and Sony. Notable for pioneering an inkjet printing process for coating emissive materials, the company is specializing in development and production of OLED displays and of cost-effective manufacturing systems for them.{{cite web |title=JOLED |url=https://www.oled-info.com/joled |website=oled-info.com}}{{Cite news|date=2017-12-05|title=Japan Display affiliate becomes nation's first to commercially sell OLED screens|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-display-oled-idUSKBN1DZ0XX|access-date=2020-09-05}}
History
Sumitomo Chemical, a main supplier to Japanese electronics makers, acquired Cambridge Display Technology in 2007, procuring polymer organic emitter technology.{{Cite web |date=2007-07-31 |title=Cambridge Display Technology (CDT) acquired by Sumitomo Chemical |url=https://eu-japan.com/2007/07/cdt-sumitomo/ |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=Europe-Japan |language=en-US}}
Panasonic and Sony, the producer of Sony XEL-1, had been developing OLED technology independently and, in July 2012, struck an agreement to jointly conduct the development to make OLED televisions commercially viable.{{Cite news|last=Saito|first=Reiji Murai, Mari|date=2012-05-15|title=Sony, Panasonic in talks to make OLED TVs: sources|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sony-panasonic-oled-idUSBRE84D1EV20120515|access-date=2020-12-28}} At the CES 2013, the prototypes of inkjet-printed, RGB OLED television as large as 56-inch were demonstrated by Panasonic.{{Cite web|title=Panasonic Surprises at CES 2013 With 4K OLED HDTV, 20-Inch 4K Tablet|url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/panasonic-surprises-at-ces-2013-with-4k-oled-hdtv-20-inch-4k-tablet|access-date=2020-12-28|website=PCMAG|language=en}} However, aside from unveiling prototypes, the pact between the two companies failed to deliver on its mission and was brought to an end in December 2013.{{Cite web|last=Souppouris|first=Aaron|date=2013-12-25|title=Sony and Panasonic reportedly cancel OLED TV partnership|url=https://www.theverge.com/2013/12/25/5243330/sony-and-panasonic-reportedly-cancel-oled-tv-partnership|access-date=2020-12-28|website=The Verge|language=en}}
On July 31, 2014, Sony, Panasonic and Japan Display, the display joint venture of Hitachi, Toshiba and Sony, announced plans to establish a company named JOLED by early 2015 that inherits the OLED operations of Panasonic and Sony, which will withhold some assets related to its professional business, to develop small-to-medium size OLED displays namely for tablet devices, not the larger ones for televisions they had been working on, and that there is a negotiation ongoing for investment with INCJ, a public-private fund in Japan. Apart from INCJ which would inject 75 percent of startup capital, Japan Display (15%), Panasonic (5%), and Sony (5%) were set to participate as initial investors as well.{{Cite news|date=31 July 2014|title=Sony, Panasonic, Japan Display Plan OLED Joint Venture|work=EE Times|url=https://www.eetimes.com/sony-panasonic-japan-display-plan-oled-joint-venture/}}{{Cite news|date=2014-07-31|title=Sony, Panasonic, Japan Display say to set up OLED displays JV|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/sony-results-oled-idUST9N0OU00V20140731|access-date=2020-12-28}}
In January 2015, JOLED formally came into operation, and reportedly started to make use of Sony's WRGB technology and Panasonic's inkjet printing method, targeting markets for tablets, laptops and signage.{{Cite web|title=JOLED begins operations, aims to mass produce 10-20 inch OLED displays by 2017 {{!}} OLED-Info|url=https://www.oled-info.com/joled-begins-operations-aims-mass-produce-10-20-inch-oled-displays-2017|access-date=2020-12-28|website=www.oled-info.com}}
In 2016, Japan Display made clear of its intention to increase its stake in JOLED to more than 50 percent by the end of 2017 to bolster its own OLED business but the plan did not materialize.{{Cite news|last=Wilson|first=Thomas|date=2016-12-13|title=Japan Display to raise stake in OLED display maker Joled: Nikkei|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-joled-stake-jdi-idUSKBN14126R|access-date=2020-12-28}}{{Cite news|date=2017-06-07|title=Japan Display delays investment in JOLED until at least 2018|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-display-overhaul-joled-idINKBN18Y0N6|access-date=2020-12-28}}
In March 2017, JOLED made its first exhibition of printed OLED displays ranging from 12 to 21 inches at the CeBIT 2017 held in Hanover, Germany. By May, the company started to sample 21-inch, 4K OLED display panels that were built in a top emission structure with RGB subpixels called the "pure RGB stripes",{{Cite web|title=JOLED to Start Providing OLED Display Panel Samples to ASUS – JOLED Inc.|url=https://www.j-oled.com/eng/customer/2018-1-05/|access-date=2020-12-29|language=en-US}} likely coming from Sony's Super Top Emission Technology as against WRGB like previous reports have suggested,{{Cite web|title=JOLED starts to sample 21.6" 4K printed OLED monitors {{!}} OLED-Info|url=https://www.oled-info.com/joled-started-sample-216-4k-printed-oled-monitors|access-date=2020-09-05|website=www.oled-info.com}} and in December, it shipped Sony a first batch of the panels for high-end medical displays, becoming the world's first to sell an OLED display panel manufactured with an inkjet printing technology, which is considered to be more efficient than an existing evaporation method requiring costly vacuum chambers and metal masks, expectedly bringing down manufacturing cost by 20 to 30 percent according to the company's own account in 2017.{{Cite web|title=Japan enters display fray with world's first printed OLED panels|url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Japan-enters-display-fray-with-world-s-first-printed-OLED-panels|access-date=2020-12-28|website=Nikkei Asia|language=en-GB}}
In January 2018, Asus announced a 21.6-inch monitor using the JOLED panel.{{Cite web|title=Asus announces 4K HDR OLED monitor|url=https://www.flatpanelshd.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1515284612|access-date=2020-09-05|website=FlatpanelsHD}}
In March 2018, JOLED attracted fresh fundings totalling around US$400 million led by Denso.{{Cite news|date=2017-12-26|title=Japan's Denso considering $440 mln investment in JOLED - Kyodo|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/japan-display-oled-denso-idUSL4N1OQ05Q|access-date=2020-12-28}}{{Cite web|title=Japan's Denso to pour $282m into OLED maker|url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Business-deals/Japan-s-Denso-to-pour-282m-into-OLED-maker|access-date=2020-12-28|website=Nikkei Asia|language=en-GB}} In July, JOLED started to build a mass production facility for its display panels in Nomi, Ishikawa with an aim to start operation in 2020. In November 2019, the construction of the Nomi plant has been completed.{{Cite web|title=JOLED unveils printed OLED production line|url=https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20191125VL203.html|access-date=2020-12-28|website=DIGITIMES|language=en}}
In April 2019, JOLED started the construction of a new plant in Chiba at which display modules will be manufactured using OLED panels from the Nomi plant, stating that it would go on line sometime in 2020.{{Cite web|last=Shilov|first=Anton|title=JOLED Starts Construction of New Printed OLED Facility|url=https://www.anandtech.com/show/14191/joled-starts-construction-of-new-printed-oled-facility|access-date=2020-12-30|website=www.anandtech.com}}
In October 2019, Eizo debuted a high-end monitor featuring the 21-inch OLED panel from JOLED kicking off the trial production at the Nomi plant. Toyota announced the incorporation of a flexible OLED display co-developed by JOLED and Denso into its concept car, the Toyota LQ, the same year.{{Cite web|title=JOLED starts sampling printed OLED panels at its 5.5-Gen Nomi site {{!}} OLED-Info|url=https://www.oled-info.com/joled-starts-sampling-printed-oled-panels-its-55-gen-nomi-site|access-date=2020-12-28|website=www.oled-info.com}}{{Cite web|title=OLED, Jointly Developed by Denso and JOLED, Adopted for the TOYOTA Concept Car "LQ" – JOLED Inc.|url=https://www.j-oled.com/eng/customer/20191021lq/|access-date=2020-12-28|language=en-US}}
In June 2020, CSOT, a TCL Technology company, invested US$281 million and took a 10.76 percent stake in JOLED which would in turn license its technology for TCL's development of OLED televisions, which might be incorporating quantum dots.{{Cite web|title=Panel Maker TCL to Invest $281 Million in Japanese Peer JOLED - Caixin Global|url=https://www.caixinglobal.com/2020-06-22/panel-maker-tcl-to-invest-281-milion-in-japanese-peer-joled-101570690.html|access-date=2020-09-05|website=www.caixinglobal.com|language=en}}{{Cite web|agency=Reuters|author=Makiko Yamazaki|title=Japan's JOLED to raise 20 bln yen from China's TCL|url=https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/japans-joled-to-raise-20-bln-yen-from-chinas-tcl-2020-06-19|access-date=2020-09-11|website=www.nasdaq.com|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Report: TCL planning to unveil a QD-OLED TV next year|url=https://www.flatpanelshd.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1600075852|access-date=2021-01-13|website=FlatpanelsHD}}
In late 2020, JOLED announced the respective partnerships with U.S-based Rosen Aviation and Germany-based AERQ, both aviation display suppliers.{{Cite web|title=JOLED and Rosen Aviation to co-develop medium-sized OLED solutions for aircraft interiors {{!}} OLED-Info|url=https://www.oled-info.com/joled-and-rosen-aviation-co-develop-medium-sized-oled-solutiosn-aircraft|access-date=2020-12-26|website=www.oled-info.com}}{{Cite web|date=2020-12-02|title=AERQ and JOLED work to integrate medium-sized OLED displays|url=https://www.aircraftinteriorsinternational.com/news/inflight-entertainment/aerq-and-joled-work-to-integrate-medium-sized-oled-displays.html|access-date=2020-12-26|website=Aircraft Interiors International|language=en-GB}}
At the CES 2021, LG Electronics unveiled its first 32-inch OLED display product, which features JOLED's panel.{{Cite web|last=Alderson|first=Alex|title=LG announces the first 32-inch OLED monitor with a native 4K resolution|url=https://www.notebookcheck.net/LG-announces-the-first-32-inch-OLED-monitor-with-a-native-4K-resolution.515013.0.html|access-date=2021-01-15|website=Notebookcheck|language=en}}
On March 27, 2023, the company filed for bankruptcy with $250m in liabilities.{{Cite web |date=2023-03-27 |title=Notice regarding Civil Rehabilitation Filing and Execution of Basic Agreement on Sponsor’s Support |url=https://www.j-oled.com/eng/press/notice-regarding-civil-rehabilitation-filing-and-execution-of-basic-agreement-on-sponsors-support/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327170934/https://www.j-oled.com/eng/press/notice-regarding-civil-rehabilitation-filing-and-execution-of-basic-agreement-on-sponsors-support/ |archive-date=2023-03-27 |website=JOLED Inc.}}{{Cite web |date=2023-03-27 |title=印刷方式有機ELディスプレイのJOLEDが民事再生、技術はJDIが承継へ |url=https://monoist.itmedia.co.jp/mn/articles/2303/28/news061.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327213600/https://monoist.itmedia.co.jp/mn/articles/2303/28/news061.html |archive-date=2023-03-27 |access-date=2024-12-20 |website=MONOist |language=ja}}
Products
As of July 2020, 4K RGB OLED panels of three different sizes - 22-inch, 27-inch, and 32-inch - were set to be available for sale.{{Cite web|title=Toyota Tsusho and JOLED Opens "JOLED Demonstration Room Shinagawa"Aiming to propose uses and expand sales of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays|url=https://www.toyota-tsusho.com/english/press/detail/200720_004652.html|access-date=2021-01-12|website=Toyota Tsusho|language=en}} The company has stated that it aims to produce and sell 10- to 32-inch OLEDs including transparent or flexible ones.{{Cite web|title=Product – JOLED Inc.|url=https://www.j-oled.com/eng/product/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206051249/https://www.j-oled.com/eng/product/|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 6, 2019|access-date=2021-01-13|language=en-US}}
As of 2021, JOLED markets its OLED displays under the brand name OLEDIO.{{Cite web|title=Product – JOLED Inc.|url=https://www.j-oled.com/eng/product/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206051249/https://www.j-oled.com/eng/product/|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 6, 2019|access-date=2021-03-30}}
= List of products =
External links
- {{Official website|https://www.j-oled.com/eng/|JOLED Inc. official website}} {{in lang|en}}
- {{Official website|https://www.j-oled.com/|JOLED Inc. official website}} {{in lang|ja}}