Denso Leads $270 Million Investment in OLED Display Developer

Denso Corp. has invested 30 billion yen ($270 million) in JOLED Inc., a Tokyo-based developer of printed organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays.

The deal is part of a 47 billion-yen ($423 million) package joined by Japan’s Toyota Tsusho, Sumitomo Chemical and Screen Fintech Solutions. The companies aim to launch mass production of JOLED’s technology by 2020, which they claim will be an industry first.

OLED displays are thinner, lighter and produce more light than current thin-film transistor liquid crystal displays, according to the partners. The devices also can provide higher-definition images, more vivid colors and are bendable, which JOLED says makes them easier to install.

JOLED says its “RGB” printing method is simpler and more efficient than traditional manufacturing approaches. The company began shipment of its first product—a 21.6-inch 4K OLED display for medical monitors—last December.

Founded in 2015, JOLED combined the OLED display development divisions of Sony Corp. and Panasonic Corp. The company expects the use of OLED cockpit displays will increase rapidly as vehicles become more connected and autonomous.