Plastic Logic raises $100m for plant to make portable electronic readers
Plastic Logic Limited said today that it will build the first factory to manufacture plastic electronics on a commercial scale.
The facility will produce flexible active-matrix display modules for 'take anywhere, read anywhere' electronic reader products. It will use Plastic Logic's unique process to fabricate active-matrix displays that are thin, light and robust; enabling a reading experience closer to paper than any other technology.
To fund the commercialization program, Plastic Logic has completed a first closing of $100m of equity financed by Oak Investment Partners and Tudor Investment Corporation. Existing investors Amadeus Capital Partners, which led the seed financing, Intel Capital, Bank of America, BASF Venture Capital, Quest for Growth and Merifin Capital also participated. The financing is one of the largest in the history of European venture capital.
Bandel Carano, Managing Partner at Oak, said: "Plastic Logic has created a pioneering technology that will revolutionize the way that people interact with their media on the move. This investment is a perfect fit with Oak's vision of future media interaction through handheld devices."
Director of Amadeus Hermann Hauser said: "With this investment we are not only scaling up a great company - we are also creating a new electronics industry that will become a significant addition to silicon."
The facility will produce display modules for portable electronic reader devices - a product category predicted to grow to 42 million units in 2010. It will have an initial capacity of more than a million display modules a year and production will start in 2008. Dresden in east Germany has been chosen as the facility location following an extensive worldwide site selection process.
"Our displays will enable electronic reader products that are as comfortable and natural to read as paper whether you're on a beach, in a train or relaxing on the sofa at home," said John Mills, COO at Plastic Logic. "Wireless connectivity will allow you to purchase and download a book or pick up the latest edition of your newspaper wherever you are and whenever you need it. The battery will last for thousands of pages so you can leave your charger at home."
"Even in this age of pervasive digital content, our research shows that consumers are very reluctant to read on laptops, phones and PDAs," said Simon Jones, Vice President of Product Development at Plastic Logic. "We still carry around enormous amounts of paper. However, people are making less room in their lives for the weight and bulk of paper and are becoming more sensitive to the environmental impact of printing to read. We believe there is a substantial unfulfilled need that Plastic Logic can meet by making digital reading a comfortable and pleasurable experience."
Unlisted Plastic Logic was spun out of Cambridge University in 2000 to build on 10 years of research and now has a team of more than 60 employees working from the Cambridge Science Park.
3rd January 2007
