Samsung repositioning Samsung Display employees to chip packaging unit

Samsung Electronics was repositioning hundreds of employees at Samsung Display to its chip packaging business unit, TheElec has learned.

The company is taking applications from employees at its display business unit for the transfer, people with direct knowledge of the matter said.

Those 37-years-old or under can apply and Samsung is aiming to move around 300 of them to its chip packaging business unit under the Device Solution division, its chip division under Samsung Electronics.

The process is expected to be completed during the second half of the year.

It is Samsung’s third such repositioning for Samsung Display employees in the past two years. It made similar transfers during the first and second halves of last year.

Samsung Display is exiting its liquid crystal display (LCD) business, so it needs fewer employees, while Samsung Electronics needs more employees for its chip business from the shortage of talents.

Samsung Display originally intended to end its LCD business by the end of 2020 but is still running some production lines following the request from Samsung Electronics’ TV business unit.

L8 line is the only line still operating but it will also end production by the end of next month.

Some of the lines have already been converted to Q1, in which Samsung Display is producing quantum dot (QD)-OLED panels. Around 1,000 staff of Samsung Display is still working at L8. 

Samsung will be able to take advantage of the employees with experience working in production for its chip business, which it is aiming to boost, the people said.

On Tuesday, the conglomerate announced that it plans to spend 450 trillion won over the next five years on semiconductors, pharmaceuticals and other next-generation technologies.

The majority of of the investment is expected to spend on the company’s chip business, which encompasses memory, logic and foundry.