Zeon to boost production of retardation films for large‐screen LCD TVs with new 3,000 mm wide film line in Himi City, Toyama Prefecture

Zeon Corporation (Zeon; head office: Chiyoda‐ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Tetsuya Toyoshima) will construct a new production line for retardation films used in large‐screen LCD TVs at its Himi Futagami Plant in Himi City, Toyama Prefecture. The expansion will increase product supply to meet growing demand for large‐screen TVs and also strengthen Zeon’s BCP by further solidifying its dual‐site production system, consisting of the Himi Futagami Plant and the Tsuruga Plant in Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture. Zeon’s production capacity for retardation films for TVs will subsequently rise by approximately 20% to 264 million m2 per year. Construction will start in December 2025, with mass production scheduled to commence in the summer of 2027.

Zeon produces optical films (product name: ZeonorFilm®) through an innovative sheet extrusion process using thermoplastic Cyclo Olefin Polymer(COP), developed through its proprietary polymer design technology, as raw material. ZeonorFilm® offerssuperior optical properties and excellent dimensional stability, and there is growing demand mainly for its use as retardation to provide functions such as viewing angle compensation and anti‐reflection in displays for large‐screen TVs and mobile devices.

Since 2020, Zeon has been producing 2,500 mm wide films to meet the demand for larger LCD panels, with two lines currently in operation at its Tsuruga Plant. The facility’s planned expansion is intended to keep pace with the accelerating demand for larger LCD panels. Moreover, it will enable the production of a 3,000 mm wide film, among the widest available for this application, for manufacturing LCD panels as large as 130 inches.

Arial view of Himi Futagami Plant in Himi City

The expansion will involve the construction of a new building on the premises of the Himi Futagami Plant and installation of the necessary equipment to establish a production line capable of producing 45 million m2 of films. Zeon’s production capacity for films that are 2,500 mm or wider will subsequently increase to 145 million m2 , and total annual production capacity for retardation films for TVs will increase to 264 million m2 . Mass production using the new line is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2027, and efforts are also underway to secure the necessary operating personnel.

Zeon has designated COPs as a business to be refined under its Medium‐Term Business Plan STAGE30. The Company will continue to address market needs and live up to societal expectations while also ensuring comfortable lives for people everywhere.

Note: Cyclo Olefin Polymer s (COPs) are highly transparent thermoplastics developed by Zeon that features low water absorbency, low out‐gassing, and low impurity. Their wide range of applications include optical and medical products, as well as transport containers for semiconductors. A recycling plant for COPs with an annual production capacity of 6,000 tonnes will come online in September 2025 at the Takaoka Plant, while a new plant with an annual capacity of 12,000 tonnes is scheduled to start operations in 2028 in Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. ZeonorFilm® is made of COP using the Company’s proprietary processing technology and particularly demonstratesitsstrengthsin large‐screen panels by offering excellent dimensional stability, leveraging this polymer’s low water absorbency

For more information, contact:

Department of Corporate Communications, Corporate Sustainability Division, Zeon Corporation

Phone: +81‐3‐3216‐2747

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