Sony to boost LCD TV output in Slovakia

NITRA, Slovakia (Kyodo) Sony Corp. plans to double the annual output capacity for Bravia liquid crystal display televisions at its plant in Slovakia to 4 million units by yearend.

The plant in the city of Nitra near Bratislava, the Slovak capital, will aim to meet growing demand for Bravia sets and will become Sony's largest LCD TV manufacturing base in the world, the consumer electronics giant said.

Sales of Bravia sets are growing by double digits in many European countries, according to Sony.

The facility went onstream in August 2007 and took over production from Sony's initial Slovak plant for LCD TVs in Trnava, 40 km west of Nitra.

To cope with the planned capacity increase, the Nitra plant will boost its workforce to around 3,500 by the end of this year from the current 2,300, Sony said.

Sony began assembling LCD televisions in Slovakia at the Trnava plant in April 2006.

"The expansion of our production capacity in Nitra is a clear sign of our determination to expand our TV business across Europe, the world's largest market for Bravia," Sony President Ryoji Chubachi said at the opening ceremony for the Nitra plant.

The capacity increase, combined with Sony's other European TV plant in Spain, will enable the company to turn out 6 million units a year in Europe.

The opening ceremony for the plant, which took place many months after its actual opening, was also attended by senior Slovak government officials and Sony Chairman Howard Stringer.