OTTAWA, June 24, 2005 -- The Honourable David L. Emerson, Minister of Industry, today announced a $1.95-million investment for the research and development of flat panel display technology for the aerospace and defence industry. This Technology Partnerships Canada (TPC) investment is part of a $6.5-million project being undertaken by Luxell Technologies Inc. of Mississauga, Ontario.
"The Government of Canada is committed to supporting leading-edge companies to ensure that the aerospace and defence industry continues to prosper in Canada," said Minister Emerson. "This project will enable Canada to establish a unique capability, and respond to the strong and growing demand for this type of specialized product."
Drawing on the expertise gained in developing its thin film electroluminescent (TFEL) technology, Luxell will apply existing technologies in new combinations, resulting in innovative solutions to the challenges of current flat panel display technologies. These technologies are used in a variety of applications, from cell phones to airplane cockpits, as they offer a display medium that emits crisp, clear images that are viewable from extremely wide angles, are readable in all light conditions ranging from total darkness to full sunshine, and operate over a broad temperature range.
The three key desired outcomes of this project include the development of a tool kit that allows flat panel display components to be cost-effectively adapted for use in a variety of settings; an active-matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) process that permits reconfiguration of components and alleviates obsolescence issues; and an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) process that enables use in the harshest of environments.
This project encourages the company's continued growth as an emerging leader in the flat panel display subsector, and is expected to create or maintain up to 44 high-quality jobs.
"This TPC investment will help us to reach our goal of being recognized leaders in the custom design and manufacture of flat panel displays," said John Wright, President and Chief Executive Officer of Luxell Technologies Inc. "It also affirms the federal government's commitment to this mission critical area of the aerospace and defence industry."
Technology Partnerships Canada is a key instrument for achieving Canada's objectives of increasing economic growth, creating high-quality jobs and wealth, and supporting sustainable development. Working in partnership with innovative companies across Canada, TPC shares in the cost of private sector technology projects in aerospace and defence, in environmental technologies and in enabling technologies, such as biotechnology and information and communications technologies.
For more information, please contact:
Christiane Fox
Office of the Honourable David L. Emerson
Minister of Industry
(613) 995-9001
Media Relations
Industry Canada
(613) 943-2502
The news release and other documents are available on the Technology Partnerships Canada website at http://www.tpc-ptc.ic.gc.ca
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Backgrounder
Government of Canada Supports R&D in Display Technologies for
Aerospace and Defence Industry
Luxell Technologies Inc. will receive a conditionally repayable investment of $1.95 million from Technology Partnerships Canada (TPC) for the research and development of flat panel display technologies for the aerospace and defence sector, among others. As part of a $6.5-million multi-year project, this investment will allow the company to become a leader in this highly competitive industry.
Drawing on the expertise gained in developing its thin film electroluminescent (TFEL) technology, Luxell Technologies Inc. will apply existing technologies in new combinations, resulting in innovative solutions to address the limitations of current flat panel display technologies. The use of TFEL display technology in the aerospace environment has proven to be significantly valuable as it provides the user with a display medium that emits crisp, clear images that are viewable from extremely wide angles, are readable in all light conditions ranging from total darkness to full sunshine, and operate over a broad temperature range.
This investment will allow Luxell Technologies Inc. to research and develop new combinations to apply to existing technologies, resulting in novel and innovative solutions to shortcomings of the current technologies.
The company anticipates three key outcomes from this R&D:
a robust and flexible design and processing tool kit that allows flat panel display components of commercial/consumer origin to be cost-effectively adapted for use in the harshest environments;an active-matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) process that permits economic, high-integrity reconfiguration of commercially sourced components, and mitigates premature obsolescence issues; and an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) hardening and repacking process that enables its usage in the harshest of environments, and thus, opens the way to lower cost/higher performance flat panel solutions as compared to AMLCD.
This initiative will position Canada as a leader in the production of flat panel display technologies, enabling a response to strong and growing demand from the defence and aerospace communities in a mission critical area. This project also encourages Canada's knowledge-based economy by creating and maintaining significant high-quality jobs at Luxell and at its Canadian suppliers.
With a total of 46 employees at its facility in Mississauga, Ontario, Luxell Technologies Inc. has become an established supplier of flat panel display systems for control and display systems used in space, defence and avionics industries in the United States, Europe and Japan.
