Mark IV Industries and Cambridge Display Technology Sign Product Development Agreement for Light Emitting Polymer Transport Signage
AMHERST, N.Y.--March 21, 2002--Mark IV Industries Inc. (Amherst, N.Y.), a global manufacturer of transportation signage products and Cambridge Display Technology (CDT, Cambridge, U.K.), the leading researcher and commercial developer of light emitting polymer (LEP) technology and owner of the fundamental intellectual property for LEPs, announced they have signed an agreement to collaborate exclusively for the next two years in the development of LEP transport signage displays.
Under the terms of the agreement, Mark IV will specify a number of LEP display products to be developed jointly with CDT for the transportation signage industry. These products will initially be developed on CDT's development line and then fabricated on CDT's new pilot line facility in Godmanchester, U.K. where limited run manufacture is planned.
Additionally, an agreement on license terms has been made for Mark IV to produce LEP displays in the future when demand exceeds the pilot line capacity.
"Collaborating with Mark IV gives CDT the opportunity to develop LEP display products with a leading global manufacturer for the transportation industry," said David Fyfe, CEO of CDT.
"Designing and producing high value LEP displays with well defined product targets on CDT's pilot line gives us added commercial experience to help drive the commercialization of LEP technology and expand its range of market applications."
"Collaboration with CDT gives Mark IV the opportunity to introduce this new and exciting technology into our wide range of passenger information display system products," said Avi Zisman, president of Passenger Information Display Systems (PIDS) group.
About CDT
Cambridge Display Technology (CDT) is a privately held company leading the research, development and commercialization of polymer technology for flat panel displays and lighting. CDT's light emitting polymer (LEP) technology is targeted for use in a wide range of electronic display products used for information management, communications and entertainment.
Features include reduced power consumption, size, thickness and weight, very wide viewing angle, superior video imaging performance and the potential to produce displays on plastic substrates. To date, licenses have been granted to Delta Optoelectronics, DuPont Displays, OSRAM, Philips, and Seiko-Epson, who have either announced imminent start of production or are actively implementing their manufacturing strategies.
CDT is promoting LEP technology development and speeding its commercialization through a global business strategy including co-developments with leading companies in a wide range of display and related technology areas. Founded in 1992, the company has headquarters in Cambridge. More information about CDT is available at: www.cdtltd.co.uk.
About Mark IV Industries Inc.
Mark IV Industries is a privately held $1.3 billion global manufacturing company with headquarters in the Buffalo suburb of Amherst, employing approximately 14,000 people worldwide. The company's business segments include automotive and transportation.
The core technologies include power train, electronic information products and services for the transportation market, automotive, power transmission and other engine-related systems and components, fluid power and fluid transfer systems and components. The company brands include Dayco, Lombardini, Luminator and F-P Electronics. The company's Web site is: www.mark-iv.com.
Passenger Information Display Systems (PIDS) group.
The PIDS group consist of five divisions supporting the European and North American markets with a wide range of products.
F-P Electronics division is the worlds leading manufacturer of electronics display components for outdoor applications. The F-P Electronics range of display components consists of alphanumeric character modules, dot matrices in various configurations, status indicators and seven-segment digits.
Product applications include:
| -- | Traffic Advisory Systems |
| -- | Passenger Information & Display Systems |
| -- | Toll Display Systems |
| -- | Parking Information & Display Systems |
| -- | Scoreboards, Industrial & Commercial Information Systems |
Luminator is recognized as an innovative leader in the transit industry in North America. Luminator Mass Transit Products and Luminator Aircraft Products serve three major sectors of the public and private transportation industry -- bus, passenger railcars and commercial and military aircraft.
Lawo-Luminator-Europa (LLE) for more than 10 years has been a market leader in Europe in the design of information systems for public transit mobile and stationary applications.
Focon is primarily responsible for the design and integration of advanced display, voice and entertainment technology used throughout the PIDS group.
Serel-Luminator-Europa (SLE) specializes in automatic vehicle location and passenger information systems.