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Plastic Logic

Company


Owners:
Rusnano - 43,84%

Content

Owners

History

2008

The first devices

In September, 2008 for the first time devices on the basis of "the flexible plastic display" were announced by the British Plastic Logic under the name Plastic Logic Reader. Then they already had the wireless interface and supported work with files in the MS Office formats.

2010

The Russian investors on behalf of Rusnano

  • At the beginning of 2010 the following iteration of "the plastic tablet" which carried the name "business e-book" QUE proReader was provided, had the modules Wi-fi and 3G and 4 or 8 GB of a solid-state memory. Plastic Logic stated that the device will appear in the American retail at the price of $650 in the minimum complete set, and for $800 in the version from 8 GB of memory and the 3G-module.

  • In August, 2010 after several transfers of start Plastic Logic refused the idea to bring QUE proReader to the market. Nevertheless, the company in Dresden has a production line capable to perform pilot production of tablets with a power about 1 thousand pieces a week.

  • In December, 2010 it was officially announced arrangements on acquisition by the Russian state corporation "Rusnano" of a share in Plastic Logic and construction in the Zelenograd special economic zone of the plant of "flexible displays" on technologies of the company. Thus, the Zelenograd factory Plastic Logic will become the second production site of the company releasing "flexible displays".

2011

Presentation to Putin

  • At the beginning of 2011 investments of Rusnano into the project on release of "flexible displays" in Zelenograd on technology made $150 million, and in addition to them Rusnano provided to the Russian subsidiary of Plastic Logic, Plastic Logic Ltd, partial guarantees on loan security for $100 million. As a result of the made investments the former state corporation which is nowadays transformed to joint stock company received 25% of shares of Plastic Logic.

Then investors from Rusnano said that construction of the Moscow region plant will begin in 2011, and the first "pilot" lots of products will appear in 2013-2014.

In addition to Rusnano, $50 million in the Zelenograd plant were invested by Oak Investment Partners venture fund.

In the next several years the project will need additional financing with a total amount up to $400 million. Thus, the total cost of the project should be about $700 million that matches the amount of investments which was called by Anatoly Chubais at a meeting with Putin in August, 2011.

  • On August 18, 2011 Anatoly Chubais at a meeting with Vladimir Putin provided to the prime minister the tablet computer, "capable to replace all set of textbooks on all disciplines". The easy and anti-vandal tablet is based on technology of "not silicon electronics", its price will be about 12 thousand rubles.

The most known success of this technology direction is a release of the "flexible displays" using technology of "electronic paper". It is applied in the device shown by the head of Rusnano to the head of the Russian Government.

It is interesting that about the tablet Anatoly Chubais spoke as about development of home company. "In our device the well-known technology of electronic paper is applied", - he writes in the blog, adding that "we prepared pilot lot – one thousand pieces". In new academic year this batch of experimental "tablets" will be admitted to schools, and, according to the head of Rusnano, the experiment already has a support of the Ministry of Education.

Meanwhile sources in Rusnano confirmed to CNews that the device shown by Anatoly Chubais to Putin is a tablet of development of Plastic Logic company, one of leaders of "not silicon electronics" which aims to enter consumer market since 2008.

Representatives of Rusnano did not specify technical characteristics of tablets from the pilot lot intended for testing at the Russian schools therefore it is impossible to set with an accuracy whether QUE proReader or new development of Plastic Logic was shown to Putin. However, it is worth noticing that after failure from QUE proReader output to the market the Plastic Logic company did not announce emergence in it of new models.

2012

New strategy

The Plastic Logic company provided in the spring of 2012 the new strategy of business. She assumes failure from formation of production holding of the "full stroke" focused on release and promotion of one type of products – e-books. Instead the company, making use of the experience in release of flexible plastic displays, she intends to focus on design and production of a broad spectrum of solutions for the existing and perspective electronic devices. It is as about flexible and shock-resistant displays of the different sizes capable to replace traditional paper carriers, and about absolutely new scopes of plastic electronics. At the same time it is going to use widely licensing of technology of release of shock-resistant plastic displays and the software for management and optimization of the image.

The output of final goods to the market will be performed together with partners from among contract producers of microelectronic components, system integrators and producers of devices. At the moment the company conducts negotiations with a number of producers, including concerning licensing of technology.

Within new strategy the company will save R&D-центр in Cambridge and production capacities in Dresden. The division in the USA which is responsible for product development will be closed. The decision on terms of construction of the enterprise in Russia will be made after determination of the list and volumes of new products. So far in Zelenograd it is going to unroll research center in the field of plastic electronics.

Development of new strategy of the company began at the initiative of the CEO of Plastic Logic Indro Mukardzhi appointed to this position in September, 2011 and was supported by key investors – RUSNANO and Oak Investment Partners. It considers significant break in development of technology of plastic electronics which the company made in the last year. In particular, on products of Plastic Logic for the first time in the world the possibility of demonstration of the color image of high resolution is implemented.

At the same time service life of displays exceeds 5 years and 10 million updates of the page, and screen update rate at video animation demonstration and also indicators "an exit suitable" reached the level of the industry of LCD displays. At last, based on the first-ever plant of organic electronics of Plastic Logic company in Dresden mass production of devices with the strong, thin and easy display with diagonal 10.7 is started'.

2015

to Take and divide: Rusnano will separate Plastic Logic

On March 11, 2015 the Board of Directors of Rusnano management company decided to separate the project of creation of flexible screens based on the Irish company Plastic Logic into two parts – production and research[1].

More than 12 billion rubles selected four years ago did not help Rusnano to begin production. According to Yury Udaltsov, the vice-president of board of UK "Rusnano", after reorganization of the project a production part will concentrate based on the German Plastic Logic Germany managing the plant in Dresden, research – based on the British Flexenable working based on Kavendishsky laboratory in Cambridge. Control over both companies will be concentrated in hands of Rusnano.

Rusnano became the co-owner of the Irish Plastic Logic Holding in 2011. The company developed the project of release of readers with monochrome flexible screens from special plastic, and Rusnano decided to arrange their mass production in Zelenograd, having invested 7.13 billion rubles in the project (the general budget made 12.62 billion rubles). For October, 2011 the share of Rusnano in Plastic Logic made 43.84%.

Messages about the beginning of production were not published. "The expert center of the electronic state" with reference to an informed source[2] reported: "buildings some time stood still construction cars, and all".

Possible reason for refusal of production - lack of profitability. Flexible displays were supposed to be delivered for readers, but they were more expensive normal and were short-lived because of quickly oxidized organic chemistry used in displays. The electronic textbook of Plastic Logic 100, in August, 2011, was submitted by the head of Rusnano Anatoly Chubais to the Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin.

The chairman of the board of Rusnano Anatoly Chubais shows a product, 2011

The device was turned on in the experimental program of approbation of electronic textbooks in several regions of Russia despite of a number of claims:

  • monochromaticism
  • high price (12 thousand rubles),
  • the cut-down functionality:
    • it is impossible to load additional materials
    • to install third-party applications
    • is not able to work with multimedia files.

In 2012 Plastic Logic announced strategy change: make not flexible readers, but plastic displays and other components of plastic electronics.

Now, according to Vedomosti, Rusnano will bring a share in Plastic Logic Germany to 100% – permission of Federal Antimonopoly Service to purchase of 100% of its parent company, the Russian Plastic Logic Ltd, it is received in the middle of February.

As for the British Flexenable, Rusnano considers this company as a technology startup and will look for for it venture investors. Rusnano will receive about 80% of Flexenable, specifies the source close to Plastic Logic. The rest will be separated among themselves by partners of Rusnano in the Irish Plastic Logic Holding in proportion to participation in its financing.

Yury Udaltsov announced presence at the Dresden factory of commercial orders and emergence of the first revenue in 2015.

The enterprise will focus on production of displays for different practical devices – luggage labels, electronic labels, readers, phones and other portable devices and also for information displays and signs.

However, Rusnano does not refuse the idea of transfer to Russia of technologies of plastic electronics, Udaltsov says: the corporation thinks to create here batch production of prototypes, but there is no final decision yet. According to a source of "Expert center of the electronic state", construction of the plant in Troitsk is possible. Concerning sales of products, it is expected "exotic" options of application, for example: build in displays a uniform of police officers.

Notes