Financial - Page 2

Korea-based SoluM says it has won ESL orders worth 550 billion Won ($491 million USD) in Q4 2020. The new orders are from the company's new European distributors.

SoluM says it expects its ESL business to hit record sales in 2021. The company says it is currently the world's third largest ESL vendor (following SES Imageotag and Sweden's Pricer). It is the top vendor in North America and in South Korea. SoluM's goal is to become the world's leading supplier of ESL solutions.

Flexible OTFT E Ink display designer and producer Plastic Logic announced a "significant investment" in its business from China-based e-paper display maker DKE Displays.

DKE currently produced specialized ePaper displays for applications such as electronic shelf labels (ESLs), smart cards, internet of things and smart clothing. Access to Plastic Logic's OTFT based displays will enable the company to integrate rugged, lightweight and flexible products for its target markets (mostly wearables).

E Ink Holdings says that it expects revenues in Q4 2020 to be somewhat stronger than its revenues in Q3 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to increase demand for e-readers, e-notebooks and electronic shelf labels.

EIH's Chairman Johnson Lee says that the company expects next year to be strong as well, and the company increased its capacity expansion plans for 2021 as it needs to be ready for stronger demand in the future.

E Ink Holdings says that the COVID-19 pandemic is increasing demand for e-readers and electronic shelf labels, and the company expects its 2020 revenues to reach a four-year high, when the company started to focus entirely on e-paper displays.

Due to the pandemic, consumers are buying more e-readers and tablets. Retailers are looking to adopt ESL solutions to avoid virus transmission routes as well as to enhance delivery efficiency.

Electrochromics display developer Ynvisible has partnered with Finland-based Agiler Oy to prototype a smart label technology to verify surface sterilization. The label will include a sensor that detects modern ultraviolet C (UVC) sterilization with a low-power ePaper display.

This project will demonstrate a cost-effective, scalable printed and flexible electronics and displays product and it is funded by the European Union Horizon 2020 financial instrument, under the Smartees 2 project. The project aims to conclude within 9 months, and by then the companies expect to have demonstrated a first of its kind solution that can be taken into mass-production.

Touch screen technology developer SigmaSense announced the closing of a $22 million Series A funding round, led by Foxconn. One of the investors in this round is E Ink Holdings.

SigmaSense develops semiconductor and software solutions for a new generation of high-fidelity sensing data enabling new human-machine interactions - from in-person touchless order kiosks for the hospitality industry to home entertainment, including reimagined interactive at-home learning and work spaces.

E Ink Holdings says that color e-paper will become more and more important for the company, and it is increasing its capacity as demand is growing - by the end of 2020 it will increase its capacity by 10-fold, and it is likely to increase production capacity further in 2021.

The company also provided a positive outlook for the 2nd half of 2020, as demand for electronic shelf labels (ESL) is increasing - in H1 2020 E Ink shipped as many ESL displays as it did in the whole of 2019. The company's chairman says that 4% of the world's retailers have adopted electronic shelf labels

EPD solution provider Netronix announced that it has received major orders for E Ink name badges from a medical testing equipment company in the US, with shipments to start in Q3 2020.

Netronix also reports that interest in its e-Notebook products have increased, while demand for electronic baggage tags is much lower due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The company is also active with electronic shelf labels, large-area ePaper signage and e-readers (the company will ramp up its 6-inch color E Ink e-readers and name tags in Q3 2020).

E Ink Holdings reported its Q1 2020 results. The company's net profit ($26.23 million) was its highest in nine years. The company expects its growth to continue in Q2 2020 with strong demand for electronic shelf labels and color e-paper displays, mainly for e-readers.

EIH says that the virus pandemic is increasing demand for ESL which allow retailers to update product price displays automatically from a central controller in addition as more students and workers stay home, it increases demand for e-notebooks and e-readers.

Ynvisible announced that it has acquired the electrochromic display developer rdot, for $123,000 plus time-limited performance remuneration. rdot's two employees will join Ynvisible's team. Ynvisible says that it will adopt rdot's display prototyping business and transfer the technology to its high volume industrial production facility.

Ynvisible also announced that it will be closing a non-brokered private placement to raise gross proceeds of $1.5 million CAD (around $1.08 million USD).