Hon Hai Precision Industry announced that it has established a research and development center in Japan to focus on display screens and touch panels.
As a part of its diversification strategy, Hon Hai is reportedly expanding its businesses outside the OEM sector. The company has continued to invest in the display screen sector; in 2012, Hon Hai acquired a 38% stake in Sharp's Sakai TV panel factory.
Hon Hai previously announced that new technologies developed in this Japanese research and development center will be used in individual consumer, business, and medical products. However, the company did not reveal the financial details for the investment.
Laura Liu, spokesperson of Hon Hai, told local media that the reason for locating the display research and development center in Japan is because it is close to the Sakai factory, which is the core of Hon Hai's display business. Liu said this new research and development center is the company's third research and development center in Asia, and the other two are located in mainland China and Taiwan, respectively. In the future, Hon Hai will continue to enhance its research and development centers and technical resources in these three sites.