Japan-based Asahi Glass, the world’s second largest TFT LCD glass substrate supplier, expects to begin shipping glass substrates to local TFT LCD makers from its new glass furnaces in Yunlin County in the third quarter of 2004, according to the company.

The schedule is one quarter later than reported by the Chinese-language Commercial Times in a January 20 article.

Asahi has already begun trial production at the furnaces. However, tight glass substrate supply will not ease for this year, as the company only plans to ship the products to existing clients, Chi Mei Optoelectronics (CMO) and Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT).

Corning, the world’s top glass substrate supplier, set up a second glass furnace in Taiwan last month.