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Pioneer Electronics is to cease all production of plasma panels and instead source panels from competitor Matsushita, according to Reuters.
The news agency has quoted a source as saying the company is finalising plans to stop all production of plasma display panels, following a report by Nikkei business news.
Pioneer President Tamihiko Sudo will be making an official announcement about the company’s plans in a press conference in Japan on Friday, which is also expected to revolve around a collaboration with Sharp on LCD.
Recently, Reuters reported that Pioneer would end production of 42-inch panels and instead buy them from Matsushita or Hitachi, though this latest announcement could have much larger implications.
At CES 2008 in January, Pioneer showed off two Kuro concept models the company was working on, but no announcement has been made if work on these panels would be scrapped.
“We refuse to comment on speculation and look forward to the announcement on March 7 which we believe will be positive for the business” said Pioneer Australia PR manager Michael Broadhurst.
Pioneer made the move in September 2007 to rebrand itself as a premium manufacturer with the release of its first Kuro products.
If Pioneer announces on Friday it will buy panels from another company pundits say it’s possible the deal could be similar to the S-LCD arrangement between Samsung and Sony — where each company develops its own electronics and proprietary technologies but shares the manufacture of the glass itself.
The news comes two weeks after Nikkei also tipped that another Japanese company, Toshiba, was about to drop its HD DVD business.
Times are tough for plasma manufacturers, with two other companies — Hitachi and Fujitsu — announcing in January they would be withdrawing products from the Australian market.
