Air Products and E Ink to jointly develop next-generation materials for electronic ink displays
Offering significant advantages over other display technologies, electronic ink has broad applicability, from point-of-sale signs in retail stores; to next generation displays in mobile telecommunications devices and PDAs; to thin, portable electronic books and newspapers.
In keeping with its strategy to expand its participation in this growing electronic display market via a value-added materials offering, Air Products has taken a minority interest in E Ink under which it will provide technical support for the joint development of electronic materials.
"We view our investment in E Ink as an opportunity to take an ownership stake in the leader of an emerging technology area," said Gerald G. Ermentrout, vice president and general manager of Air Products' Electronics Division. "In addition to our efforts to increase sales of products and services to existing display manufacturers, this investment will enable our companies to work together in the actual development and commercialization of new, emerging display technologies," he said.
Mr. Ermentrout noted that electronic materials supply into this emerging worldwide electronic display market represents a multi-million dollar annual opportunity for Air Products.
E Ink's Vice President and General Manager, Russ Wilcox, noted that his company's mission is to create a dynamic high-resolution display that is thin, flexible and rugged enough to become the next-generation paper. Coupled with broadband communications, it would allow users to fully realize the dream of anytime, anywhere information.
"As we transition to active commercial status and begin to ship products this year, we will rely on the knowledge and expertise of Air Products in the field of electronic materials to enhance our capabilities and achieve the full vision of electronic paper," Wilcox said.
E Ink Corporation was founded in 1997 to create the next medium for visual communications. E Ink's electronic ink displays help unleash the full power of our connected world by uniquely combining a paper-like reading experience with the ability to access information anytime, anywhere. E Ink's technology delivers the look, form and utility of paper encompassing broad design freedom, manufacturing flexibility, and the ultimate in readability and portability. E Ink is a private corporation that includes among its investors and strategic partners TOPPAN Printing Company, Philips Electronics, Motorola, Inc., Lucent Technologies, Creavis GmbH, The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc., Havas (a division of the Vivendi Group in France), The Hearst Corporation, Atlas Venture, Applied Technology, Solstice Capital, and now, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. E Ink is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts and has an office in the Tokyo, Japan area.
E Ink has won many prestigious awards and accolades, including Fortune's "Cool Companies," Upside's "Hot 100" Private Companies, Industry Week's "Technology of the Year," Popular Science's "Best of What's New" and a Technologic Partners' Technology Outlook "Investor's Choice." For additional information, call 617-499-6000 or visit E Ink's Web site at www.eink.com.
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (www.airproducts.com) is the world's only combined gases and chemicals company. Founded more than 60 years ago, the business has annual revenues of $5.7 billion and operations in 30 countries. Air Products is a market leader in the global electronics and chemical processing industries, and a longstanding innovator in many industrial markets, including coatings, adhesives and polyurethanes. The company distinguishes itself through its 18,000 employees around the world, who build lasting relationships with their customers and communities based on understanding, integrity and passion.
Source: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. Pavilion, 7201 Hamilton Boulevard, Allentown, PA 18195-1501. Tel: 610-481-4911; Fax: 800-880-5204.