Sony’s main LCD (liquid crystal display) TV factory in Japan is due to produce its 3 millionth flat-panel television set on Wednesday.The landmark is being reached just over five months since the factory produced its 2 millionth LCD TV set and less than two years since it started LCD TV production, said Etsuro Yamamoto, general manager of flat-screen TV production at factory-operator Sony EMCS, in an interview. Sony Headquarters The pace of production is testament to the rapid growth in the LCD TV market that has come from consumer demand sparked by lower prices.Global LCD TV shipments totaled 9.4 million units in the second quarter of this year, according to DisplaySearch. That’s a jump of 35 percent on the same period in 2005. Sony ranked fourth in market share at 11 percent but its concentration on large-screen models, which are more expensive, meant the company enjoyed the top rank in terms of revenue at 15.1 percent, according to DisplaySearch. The Sony factory, in Inazawa near Nagoya in central Japan, began producing Trinitron televisions since 1969 but production of cathode ray tube (CRT) models ended in late 2004 and the facility was retooled in four months to handle LCD TV production.When production restarted on March 3, 2005, the factory was responsible for producing LCD TVs for all regions but today it produces models for Japan, other Asian markets and Australia and New Zealand. The increasing popularity of LCD TVs around the world has pushed Sony to spread production of LCD TV sets between Inazawa and factories in Mexico and Spain. Last week Sony said it would open a second LCD TV plant in Europe. The factory, in Slovakia, is due to begin production in September next year. However Inazawa remains a “mother factory” and produces partly-assembled TV sets for the factories in Spain and Mexico at which country-specific components, such as power supplies and tuners, are added to result in a finished TV set.Sony is locked in a competitive battle with companies such as Sharp and Samsung Electronics for leadership in the LCD TV market.This year is the first in which Sony expects LCD TV shipments to surpass those of CRT sets. Including sets sourced from OEM (original equipment manufacturer) makers, Sony shipped 2.8 million LCD sets in the year to the end of March 2006 and expects to ship 6 million in the current fiscal year. CRT shipments are expected to be 5.5 million sets this year and projection TV set shipments to be 1.8 million.-Martyn Williams, IDG News Service (Tokyo Bureau)Related Links: Sony Shuffles Control of Electronics Group LCD TV Monitor Panels Prices on the Rise Rapid LCD TV Price Decline May be Near EndCheck out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content feature Red Hat embraces hybrid cloud for internal IT The maker of OpenShift has leveraged its own open container offering to migrate business-critical apps to AWS as part of a strategy to move beyond facilitating hybrid cloud for others and capitalize on the model for itself. By Paula Rooney May 29, 2023 5 mins CIO 100 Technology Industry Hybrid Cloud feature 10 most popular IT certifications for 2023 Certifications are a great way to show employers you have the right IT skills and specializations for the job. These 10 certs are the ones IT pros are most likely to pursue, according to data from Dice. By Sarah K. White May 26, 2023 8 mins Certifications Careers interview Stepping up to the challenge of a global conglomerate CIO role Dr. Amrut Urkude became CIO of Reliance Polyester after his company was acquired by Reliance Industries. He discusses challenges IT leaders face while transitioning from a small company to a large multinational enterprise, and how to overcome them. By Yashvendra Singh May 26, 2023 7 mins Digital Transformation Careers brandpost With the new financial year looming, now is a good time to review your Microsoft 365 licenses By Veronica Lew May 25, 2023 5 mins Lenovo Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe