Sharp World   Benelux     Central & Eastern Europe     France     Germany     Austria     Italy     Sweden     Spain     Switzerland     UK     Corporate Microelectronics Parts Center Environment Press Release Press Release Hamburg 2008-04-15 Sustainable concepts from Sharp at the Hanover Trade Fair 2008 Focusing on environmentally friendly energy generation and energy savings Osaka 2008-03-27 New Thin-Film Solar Cell Plant in Sakai Horizontal Deployment of Thin-Film Technology for TFT LCDs Annual Production Capacity on 1 GW Scale Hamburg 2008-03-26 Enjoy full sound with minimum power consumption Fine design, best digital surround sound and ecological: The many functions in Sharp's HT DV home cinema systems enable especially low energy consumption Hamburg 2008-03-17 Sharp empowers print communications At the Drupa fair, Sharp will present several solutions for individual and high-volume digital printing and will highlight its flagship production machines. The emphasis of these award-winning models is on providing new solutions in the fields of personalised printing and workflow. Hamburg 2008-03-10 The new Sharp AR-M200 & AR-M201 - big on performance but compact in size Sharp introduces two new desktop multifunctional systems designed for small offices and workgroups. The new AR-M200 and AR-M201 are packed with versatile features in a compact desktop design. Hamburg 2008-03-06 Sharp wins prestigious award from BERTL Sharp’s MX-M1100 receives ‘Five Star Exceptional Award’ from BERTL Hamburg 2008-03-04 One in four solar cells world-wide produced by Sharp Solar energy is billed as the energy of the future. Demand is rising rapidly. Solar cells with a capacity of about 8 gigawatts have been produced so far, of which Sharp alone has produced 2 gigawatts. In other words, one in four solar cells world-wide come from solar pioneer Sharp. This underlines the technology company's leading position in the global solar energy business. Sharp is now the first manufacturer to produce resource-saving thin-film solar cells in the world's first one-gigawatt solar plant. Istanbul/Hamburg 2008-03-03 Sunny days in Turkey – Fore Energy and Sharp support first Turkish solar trade fair From 6th to 9th March 2008 Istanbul is hosting Güneº Enerjisi’08, the first solar trade fair in Turkey. Fore Energy, the driving force for solar energy in Turkey, and Sharp, technology leader in the photovoltaics industry, support the solar trade fair to further push the use of solar energy in one of the most important markets of the future. Hamburg 2008-03-03 High definition for everyone With the new AQUOS D44E series, Sharp makes it possible to enter the world of HD, even on a tight budget. The three new HD-ready LCD TVs impress with their chic design and brilliant image quality in 16:9 cinema format, with a resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels. With sizes of 37, 32 and 26 inches (94, 81 and 65 centimetres), anyone can now afford the cinema experience at home. Hamburg/Wels 2008-03-03 Energiesparmesse Wels: Sharp calls for stronger support of solar energy in Austria “The existing Eco-Electricity Act in Austria is not sufficient for a sustainable promotion of renewable energies.“ With these words, Peter Thiele, General Manager of Sharp Solar, calls for a stronger support of solar energy in Austria on the occasion of Energiesparmesse Wels. Compared with other European countries, Austria is clearly lagging behind when it comes to promoting and supporting photovoltaics. Hamburg 2008-02-29 Sharp’s new AL-2060 and AL-2050 - Compact but powerful home & small office solution Sharp introduces two new desktop copier/printer models for the small office/home office. Packed with powerful copy, print, scan and fax (for AL-2060) capabilities, these machines can handle all your small volume document requirements with ease. Hamburg 2008-02-28 Outstanding design: Sharp's AQUOS HD1E series wins iF product design award Sharp has received the internationally coveted iF product design award for its AQUOS HD1E series. The iF product design award is one of the world's most significant design awards, and is presented annually by iF International Forum Design. With their excellent design, the devices in the Sharp HD1E series impressed the jury, which was made up of recognised experts. Osaka/Hamburg 2008-02-27 Sharp Reaches 2 GW of Cumulative Solar Cell Production Volume Result of More Than 40 Years of Trusted Experience Since Starting Mass-Production in 1963 At the end of 2007, Sharp Corporation became the first company to reach 2 GW in cumulative solar cell production volume in the world. Sharp has been involved with solar power for 49 years: the company began research into solar cells in 1959 to develop a new technology to follow the success of the television and started mass-production in 1963. It is estimated that the current world’s cumulative solar cell production volume is 8 GW, meaning Sharp has produced a full one-quarter of this. Osaka 2008-02-26 Sharp and Sony sign Memorandum of Intent to create Joint Venture for Large Sized LCD Panels/Modules Sharp Corporation ("Sharp") and Sony Corporation ("Sony") announced that today they signed a non-binding memorandum of intent to establish a joint venture to produce and sell large sized LCD panels and modules, by splitting out from Sharp an LCD panel plant now under construction in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture which will use 10th generation mother glass substrates. Certain information concerning the joint venture is outlined below, and the two companies will negotiate in good faith to enter into legally binding joint venture documentation by September 30, 2008. Hamburg 2008-01-31 Energy saving while sleeping: with the new LCD line-up from Sharp Environmental protection begins at home – even the technology in the living room can play a role. Thus, all LCD televisions currently produced by Sharp have a standby value of less than 1 watt, and for the series LC-XL2E and LC-X20E, it is even as low as 0.5 watts. In addition, many of these devices have an integrated eco mode, as well as the automatic Optical Picture Control light sensor, which adapts the light intensity of the background lighting to the ambient light. Hamburg 2008-01-28 Sharp announces the introduction of the world´s thinnest LCD television in Europe in September 2008 Sharp´s new AQUOS X series will be available in Europe under the name of D95 series as of September 2008. After the market launch in March in Sharp´s home country of Japan, the devices will be adapted to the European market standards and connection regulations. The extremely thin Full HD LCD TVs with screen sizes of 37, 42 and 46 inches (94 to 117cm) will then be available to European customers. Hamburg 2008-01-07 Sharp Wins 2007 MFP “Line of the Year” Award from Buyers Laboratory Inc, as well as ‘Pick of the Year’ in Segments 4, 5 and 6 Having tested hundreds of products representing every major vendor, Buyers Lab, the leading global provider of test reports on document imaging products, today announced the winner of its most coveted "Line of the Year" award, along with its "Picks" in Segments 4, 5 and 6, with Sharp receiving the honours in every category. Hamburg 2007-12-10 Sharp increasing production capacity of thin-film cells ten-fold Sharp is increasing the production capacity for thin-film solar cells in its Katsuragi plant in Japan from 15 to 160 megawatts. The technology company is therefore further expanding its strategically important solar group as a core business unit alongside LCD TVs and Information Systems. Osaka 2007-12-03 Sharp Breaks Ground on Manufacturing Complex for the 21st Century Will Combine Plants for Cutting-Edge LCDs, Solar Cells, and Supporting Industries Hamburg 2007-10-25 Five wins: Sharp completes global integrated production system for LCD-TVs With the completion of Sharp’s new manufacturing plant for LCD TVs in Mexico, the technology company adds another brick to its global supply strategy. The company now boasts a total of five sites for the integrated production of LCD TVs. In addition to the facility in Mexico and three further plants in China, Japan and Malaysia, Sharp’s new LCD TV plant in Torun/Poland, which took up production this summer, caters for the rapidly growing European market. This ensures that the LCD pioneer will be able to serve its global key markets even more effectively all the while reducing the "time to market". Osaka/Hamburg 2007-10-16 Sharp Holds Opening Ceremony for Second Plant in Mexico Achieves Integrated Production—from Manufacture of LCD Modules to Assembly of LCD TVs Hamburg 2007-10-15 World premiere of the Solar Tree: energy meets design On 8 October, to mark the MAK Design Nite in Vienna, the Viennese Museum for Applied Art (MAK) and its partners Sharp and Artemide are presenting the “Solar Tree” for the first time. With this innovative solar lamp installation, famous designer Ross Lovegrove has achieved the perfect combination of solar technology with the highest criteria of design and functional utility. Hamburg 2007-09-03 Sharp – the driving force on the solar market Sharp is further increasing its technological lead in the photovoltaic sector. The long-standing world market leader has set its sights on new technologies and products, even greater efficiency and a more economic use of raw materials. The solar pioneer can draw on its know-how from almost 50 years’ experience in solar power and enjoys synergies from LCD development. Hamburg 2007-08-30 CEO Sharp Europe: LCD TVs dominate European market Europe is one of the most dynamic and innovative markets in the world. In addition to its core businesses of Solar Systems and Document Solutions, technology company Sharp focuses on flat-screen TVs. The continent is currently the biggest LCD TV market and according to company forecasts by the year 2011 will make up one third of the world market for LCD TVs. With a new European plant and the very latest big-screen full-HD LCD TVs the LCD pioneer is ready to meet this challenge. Hamburg 2007-08-28 Sharp opens new LCD TV factory for Europe Sharp President Mikio Katayama and representatives of the Polish government have opened the technology company's new LCD TV factory at a formal ceremony. Poland Sharp is now manufacturing AQUOS LCD TVs for the booming European market in Torun. Hamburg 2007-08-16 EISA Awards: Sharps AQUOS LC-52HD1E is European Time Shift TV Of The Year 2007 – 2008 With the award "European Time Shift TV Of The Year 2007 - 2008" the European Image and Sound Association (EISA), has selected Sharp's LC-52HD1E LCD-TV as one of the best consumer electronics products of the year. The integrated video disk recorder and the convenient time shift function for digital recording and the time-delayed playback of the recorded program won over the first class EISA jury. The HD1E models along with their high-resolution full HD displays and a frame rate doubled to 100 Hertz guarantee the best HDTV picture quality. Soon the HD1E equipment in the award winning 52 inch or smaller 46 inch screen (132 or 117 centimetres) is available on the retail market. Hamburg 2007-07-31 Sharp builds first tenth-generation LCD plant and world’s largest solar cell plant Technology company Sharp will begin building the world’s most modern LCD plant in Sakai (Japan) near Osaka at the end of this year. In addition to the largest plant for thin-film solar cells, the industrial park, covering an area of more than one million square metres, will also accommodate suppliers. Through the combination of state-of-the-art plants with vertically integrated production, Sharp demonstrates its innovation leadership in the markets of the future: consumer electronics and renewable energies. Hamburg 2007-07-25 Energy Star: Saving energy with copiers and multifunctional devices by Sharp Stricter criteria for energy efficiency label awards came into force April 1 2007. Almost all the models in Sharp's European portfolio comply with the new Energy Star requirements. 63 devices, from monochrome copiers through to multifunctional colour devices fulfil the strict criteria, thus helping to cut power costs and protect the environment. In the course of energy saving measures users thereby have clear advantages. London/Hamburg 2007-07-13 SHARP HIGH-VOLUME MULTIFUNCTION COPIER PRODUCTS WIN Exceptional Reliability and Ease-of-Use Create a Winning Combination Hamburg 2007-07-04 Environmental protection with certificate: 40th EU Eco-label for LCD TV from Sharp In only two years Sharp has achieved something quite unique: Sharp is the only LCD TV producer to receive the popular environmental emblem from the European Commission 40 times altogether. This rewards the environmentally-friendly and energy-saving properties of Sharp's LCD televisions according to strict requirements. Hamburg 2007-07-02 New CEO for Sharp Electronics Europe Sharp Electronics has a new European President: from 1st July Toshiyuki Tajima is responsible for all European Sharp Sales Subsidiaries and also functions as Group Deputy General Manager of the Sharp International Business Group. He succeeds Hans Kleis who resigned for personal reasons at the end of June. Hamburg 2007-06-06 Hans Kleis resigns as CEO Sharp Europe Hans Kleis, CEO Sharp Europe today announced his resignment effective on 1st of July due to personal reasons. “Hans Kleis has been a valuabe CEO and managing director of Sharp for many years. We acknowledge all of the good work that he has accomplished on behalf of Sharp. While Mr. Kleis proclaimed Sharp`s “Double The Business strategy” he led our European division to achieving this challenging goal and was in charge while heading our European division to permanent increase of financial figures.”, Doug Koshima, Group General Manager International Business Group of Sharp Corporation Japan, honoured Mr. Kleis` engagement for Sharp. Hamburg 2007-04-26 Eighth record year in succession – Sharp looks back on a successful financial year of 2006 Following an 11.8 per cent year-on-year advance in sales to 19.45 billion euros, the Japanese technology company Sharp has ended the financial year of 2006 with its eighth record result in succession. This performance can be attributed to the tremendous growth enjoyed in the innovative LCD TV and solar energy markets. Hamburg 2007-03-14 CEO Sharp Europe: We are backing Europe as the market of the future These were the words with which Hans Kleis, CEO Sharp Electronics Europe, opened the technology company’s press conference at this year’s CeBIT. Europe is already Sharp’s largest overseas market. The Japanese company focuses its activities in Europe on the profitable key markets of Solar Systems, Document Solutions and LCD TVs, and this approach has enabled it to almost double its sales on the continent in the last three financial years. Hamburg 2007-03-14 LCD TV: Sharp targets the quality segment for the digital lifestyle 100 hertz, full-HD and large screen diagonals: this is the combination for success adopted by technology company Sharp in response to the strong growth in demand for LCD TVs in Europe. The LCD pioneer is setting new digital lifestyle standards and putting plasma technology even further on the back foot in the flat-screen market. Hamburg/Osaka 2007-03-05 Sharp Corporation names new Chairman of the Board of Directors Mikio Katayama takes over from his predecessor Katsuhiko Machida on the 1 April. Machida joins the Supervisory Board. Hamburg 2007-02-13 Sharp doubles production capacity for solar modules in Europe Technology company Sharp is further expanding its business with solar energy products. In addition to increasing its global production capacity for solar cells to 710 megawatts and opening its own silicon production facility, it has also doubled its European production capacity for solar modules to 220 megawatts. This investment is driven by the continuing high demand for solar power systems worldwide, and particularly in Europe, currently the largest market for photovoltaic products. Osaka/Hamburg 2007-01-24 Sharp Develops Mass-Production Technology for Triple-Junction Thin-Film Solar Cells Dramatic Improvement in Conversion Efficiency Mass Production to Begin in 2007 Hamburg 2007-01-18 108 inches: Sharp presents the largest LCD-TV in the world Sharp, a pioneer in LCDs, is setting benchmarks in the booming market of flat-screen TVs with its new 108-inch Full-HD LCD-TV, demonstrating its technological and market leadership. An impressive screen measuring 2.73 metres diagonally and a unique image quality prove once more that LCD-TVs prevail over plasma units and are defining the future of the television market. Osaka/Hamburg 2007-01-15 Sharp Sets Up Additional Solar Cell Production Line at Katsuragi Plant Solar Cell Production Capacity to be Expanded to 710 MW Per Year, the World’s Highest Osaka/Hamburg 2007-01-15 Sharp Establishes the Toyama Site for Solar Systems Group Production of Silicon for Solar Cells Begins Osaka/Hamburg 2007-01-15 Sharp Kameyama Plant No. 2 to Install Third Production Line Sharp Corporation will install a third production line at Kameyama Plant No. 2 to expand its production capacity for large LCD panels. Hamburg 2007-01-04 Sharp Launches Production of LCD Modules in Poland At the beginning of 2007, technology company Sharp launched production of LCD modules at its new factory “Sharp Manufacturing Poland“ (SMPL) in Torun, Poland. The initial production capacity amounts to 100,000 modules per month for the fast growing European LCD TV market. Osaka/Hamburg 2007-01-01 Sharp Kameyama Plant No.2 to Install Second Production Line Ahead of Schedule In response to expanding demand for large LCD TVs in the global market, Sharp Corporation will install a second Kameyama Plant No. 2 production line ahead of schedule, and expand its production capacity of large size LCD panels from January 2007. Hamburg 2006-12-18 BERTL’s Outstanding Achievement Award – 5 Stars for Sharp “Exceptional“ and ”outstanding“: with 5 stars and this acclaim BERTL has now honoured the full MX series from Sharp. The office colour MFPs already won awards for being the best machines in terms of quality, user management and security. Now Sharp with its MX series is the first manufacturer to receive the BERTL Outstanding Achievement Award adorned with 5-Star-Status for the entire colour line-up. Altogether seven devices now are honoured with the 5-star status: the MX-2300N, MX-2700N, MX-3501N, MX-4501N, and now as well the MX-5500N, MX-6200N and MX-7000N. Hamburg 2006-12-11 A Prize for Design: Sharp LCD TVs Win iF Product Design Award 2007 With the internationally renowned iF Product Design Award, two Sharp AQUOS LCD TVs of the XD1E series were honoured for their excellent design. They show how Sharp combines cutting-edge LCD technology with superb looks. Hamburg 2006-12-08 Nothing Is Lost – Sharp’s New Full HD TVs Become TV Stars A lost golf ball in the middle of a vast golf green: TV viewers have long since discovered it while the golfer is still searching the high grass. The plot of Sharp’s pan-European advertis¬ing offensive impressively demonstrates that the picture of the new AQUOS Full HD XD1E series is so close to reality that TV viewers are virtually immersed in the on-screen activity. The spot running on private and public channels is accompanied by a print campaign and a multimedia brand website on the Internet. Hamburg 2006-11-22 Flowers for Sharp LCD TVs Sharp has received yet another award for its commitment to the environment: The European Commission recently issued the coveted EU Eco-label for Sharp's new SA range of LCD TVs. More than 30 LCD TV sets manufactured by technology company Sharp carry this label. Currently, LCD pioneer Sharp is the only manufacturer of EU Eco-label certified TVs worldwide Hamburg 2006-11-16 Sharp steps up production capacity for solar cells by 20 per cent Demand for PV systems is on the up the world over. This is why technology company Sharp is boosting its production capacity for solar cells at its Japanese plant in Katsuragi. By taking an additional production line into operation, total capacity will be increased by 20 per cent to 600 megawatts per year.