Tag Archives: Merck

Merck Smart Windows Technologies, Capacity and Supply Chain

November 14, 2018, by Jennifer Colegrove Ph.D. Principal Analyst, Touch Display Research Inc.

Merck’s smart windows business started from Peer+. Peer+ was a startup company founded in 2008 in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, to make liquid crystal windows. In 2011, Peer+ and Merck worked together to develop the liquid crystal that could stand the heat and cold of a window application. In 2012, Merck acquired 70% of the shares of Peer+. And in June 2014, Merck acquired the remaining 30% share.

On October 23, 2018, Merck unveiled their new product brand “eyrise™” and announced the commercial availability of eyrise™ s350 in the EU and North America. Thanks to its unique features, eyrise™s350 provides a light wellness experience, as well as exceptional design freedom.

Figure 1: Merck Eyrise smart windows

Source: Merck

The launch of eyrise™ s350 marks the 350th anniversary of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany which has pioneered the liquid crystal business for the past 50 years. eyrise™ smart windows will be used on the first full-façade installation for FC Group’s new headquarter building in Karlsruhe, Germany. The building is planned to open in 2019.

We had an interview with Dr. Johannes Canisius, head of the Liquid Crystal Windows business at Merck, and Dr. Celine Glipa, global director of marketing & sales of the Merck Window Technologies.

We asked about the licrivision brand and the eyrise brand smart windows, their capacity, supply chain, and future plan. The full article can be found in the Touch and Emerging Display monthly report, November 2018 report.

In the Smart Windows 2018-2028 report, we analyzed 22 types smart windows technologies and provided market forecast to 2028.

Figure 2. Smart Windows 2018 to 2028 report

Thanks,

Dr. Jennifer Colegrove and team

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Touch Display Research, Inc. (https://TouchDisplayResearch.com) is a technology market research and consulting firm specializing in touch screen and emerging display technologies such as OLED displays, quantum dots, flexible displays, e-paper displays, ITO-replacement, Active pen, near-eye displays, smart windows, gesture controls, voice controls, and eye controls. Touch Display Research helps technology companies grow and connecting their technologies to the marketplace. We have been writing about OLED industry for over 10 years. We were the first company to publish Quantum Dot market reports. We were the first company to publish Active Pen market report, and ITO-replacement market report. We have always been there to analyze new and emerging technologies. Touch Display Research provides reports, consulting, and due diligence to touch suppliers, display manufacturers, consumer electronics ODMs/OEMs, material suppliers, investors and venture capitalists. We are member of Flextech Alliance, SEMI and SID.

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Merck announced liquid crystal smart window and smart window market

November 30, 2017, by Jennifer Colegrove Ph.D. Touch Display Research

Today, Merck announced it opened a new production facility for liquid crystal smart window modules in the Netherlands. The investment is around € 15 million.

Mr. Kai Beckmann, Member of the Executive Board of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and CEO Performance Materials, indicated, “We recently started taking orders from customers for modules that will be ready for delivery as of early 2018. The industry interest in liquid crystal windows we’ve seen so far is very positive.”

At SID DisplayWeek 2017 in California, Mr. Bob Miller, Senior Business Manager at Merck/EMD show us its liquid crystal smart windows in large format, see picture here. This is NOT PDLC (Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal), but only liquid crystal.

Figure 1: Merck/EMD Mr. Bob Miller demonstrate their smart windows

Photo by: Dr. Jennifer Colegrove at Touch Display Research

In the recently published “Smart Windows Transparent Switchable Technologies, Supply Chain and Market Forecast 2017 Report,” Touch Display Research Inc., analyzed 19 smart window technologies, which include 16 active smart window technologies and 3 passive smart window technologies. Some can be both active and passive. More than 130 companies working on smart window technologies are profiled in the report.

Figure 2. Smart Window Transparent Switchable Technologies, Supply Chain and Market Forecast 2017 Report

Source: Touch Display Research, April 2017

“The smart windows industry is at the tipping point of accelerated growth,” said Dr. Jennifer Colegrove, CEO and Principal Analyst at Touch Display Research and author of the report. “There are billions of dollar opportunities for glass manufacturers, plastic film manufacturers, transparent conductor suppliers, adhesive and chemical companies, touch panel and display manufacturers.”

Thanks for reading,

Dr. Jennifer Colegrove and team

Touch panels, flexible/curved/foldable display, smart windows, quantum dots are hot topics at SID 2017

May 27, 2017, by Jennifer Colegrove Ph.D.

I just returned from SID DisplayWeek 2017 in the beautiful Log Angeles, California. It was my honor to meet some of you in person.

Touch panels, flexible/curved/foldable display, smart windows, quantum dots are hot topics at SID 2017. Each of these fields has some as expected, and also has some surprises.

Figure: SID 2017 exhibition floor

Photo by: Dr. Jennifer Colegrove at Touch Display Research

Mr. Bob Miller, Senior Business Manager at Merck/EMD show us its liquid crystal smart windows in large format, see picture here. This is NOT PDLC (Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal), but only liquid crystal.

Figure: Merck/EMD Mr. Bob Miller demonstrate their smart windows

Photo by: Dr. Jennifer Colegrove at Touch Display Research

How many smart windows technologies are there? What’s the Pros and Cons of each type? Which company is investing in which? In the recently published “Smart Windows Transparent Switchable Technologies, Supply Chain and Market Forecast 2017 Report,” Touch Display Research Inc., analyzed 19 smart window technologies, which include 16 active smart window technologies and 3 passive smart window technologies. Some can be both active and passive. More than 130 companies working on smart window technologies are profiled in the report.

What are the surprises of each hot topic? More analysis of SID 2017 can be found in the “Touch and Emerging Display” monthly report.

Thanks for reading,

Dr. Jennifer Colegrove and team

International Liquid Crystal Conference 2016 Review

August 4, 2016

I just returned from the International Liquid Crystal Conference (ILCC) 2016. I’m honored to be invited to give a presentation at this conference, and especially at Kent State University, which is my home University.

Figure 1: Kent Student Centers

Photo by: Dr. Jennifer Colegrove

Kent State University has changed a lot since I graduated with a Ph.D. in the year 2000. Many science buildings and dormitory buildings have been added. The Kent Student Center, the Library and the plaza in between had been remodeled.

The ILCC is very successful with about 700 attendees this year. It is the largest academic meeting in the field of liquid crystals, held biennially under the auspices of the International Liquid Crystal Society.

Quantum dot is a hot topic in this year’s ILCC. In my presentation about display market, I discussed several new opportunities: flexible and curved displays, and quantum dot displays.

Figure 2. Dr. Jennifer Colegrove presenting at ILCC 2016 in Kent State University

At ILCC 2016, Crystalplex showcased their Sapphire^TM Quantum Dots, which they claim is air-stable quantum dots.

Figure 3. Crystalplex at ILCC 2016.

Photo by: Dr. Jennifer Colegrove

Merck is also entering quantum dot field by signing a distribution agreement with Nanoco this week.

In the recently published “Quantum Dot 2016 Report (Third Edition),” Touch Display Research surveyed many quantum dot suppliers, display manufacturers and OEMs, and analyzed and forecasted the quantum dot display component market with detail of material type and form factor. This report profiles over 80 companies working on quantum dot materials and quantum dot components. Touch Display Research forecasts the overall QD display component and lighting and QLED market will surpass $2 billion by 2017, and reach $10.8 billion by 2026.

Figure 4. Quantum dot component for display and lighting market forecast

Source: Touch Display Research, Quantum dot 2016 report

Thanks for reading,

Dr. Jennifer Colegrove and team

Plastic Logic and Novaled OTFT backplane AMOLED

February 10, 2014

I just came back from the 2014 FLEX conference and the SID LA Symposium. There are many highlights in these 2 conferences. One of the exciting news is about the Organic TFT (OTFT) backplane AMOLED.

On Feb 6^th, 2014, Plastic Logic’s director of research and partnerships, Mr. Mike Banach gave a presentation titled “A New Frontier for Flexible Displays”. At the same day, both Plastic Logic and Novaled announced their partnership and their demo of OTFT backplane AMOLED.

Their demo is a monochrome flexible AMOLED, targeting for wearable applications. Plastic Logic’s CEO, Indro Mukerjee, said, “2014 will be the year that wearable technology starts to go mainstream.”

Touch Display Research analyst agrees with that. Touch Display Research forecasts 30 million units flexible and curved displays will be shipped for smart watch application by 2023. Overall flexible and curved display market will reach $27 Billion by 2023.

Figure: Flexible and curved displays for smart watch application forecast to 2023

Source: Touch Display Research. “Flexible and Curved Display and Lighting Technologies and Market Forecast” report. September, 2013.

It is said Merck’s organic semiconductor material was used in the OTFT prototype.

As we covered in our “Flexible and Curved Display and Lighting Technologies and Market Forecast” report, Sony has demonstrated OTFT backplane AMOLED before.

Thanks for reading,

Jennifer and team