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TCL Technology

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TCL Technology Group Corp.
Native name
TCL科技集团股份有限公司
TCL kējì jítuán gǔfèn yǒuxiàn gōngsī
Company typePublic; partly state-owned enterprise
SZSE: 000100
IndustryConsumer electronics
Home appliances
Finance
Founded1981; 43 years ago (1981) (as TTK)
1985; 39 years ago (1985) (as TCL Corporation)
2020; 4 years ago (2020) (as TCL Technology)
FounderLi Dongsheng (李东生) and Luca Situ (司徒立生)
Headquarters
Huizhou, Guangdong
,
China
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Li Dongsheng (CEO)
ProductsTelevision sets, mobile phones, air conditioning, washing machines, refrigerators, robot vacuum cleaners
ServicesXbox Developer Forum (phone & TV)
RevenueIncrease US$17.889 billion (2022)[1]
Decrease US$2.032 billion (2019)[2]
Decrease US$522 million (2019)[2]
Total assetsDecrease US$23.549 billion (2019)[2]
Total equityIncrease US$9.126 billion (2019)[2]
Number of employees
35,379 (2019)
Subsidiaries
Websitetcl.com
TCL Technology Group
Simplified ChineseTCL科技集团
Traditional ChineseTCL科技集團
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinTCL Kējì Jítuán

TCL Technology Group Corp. (originally an abbreviation for Telephone Communication Limited) is a Chinese partially state-owned electronics company headquartered in Huizhou, Guangdong Province. TCL develops, manufactures, and sells consumer electronics like television sets, mobile phones, air conditioners, washing machines, refrigerators, and small electrical appliances. In 2010, it was the world's 25th-largest consumer electronics producer.[3] On 7 February 2020, TCL Corporation changed its name to TCL Technology.[4] It was the second-largest television manufacturer by market share in 2022 and 2023.[5]

TCL comprises five listed companies: TCL Technology, listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE: 000100), TCL Electronics Holdings, Ltd. (SEHK: 1070), TCL Communication Technology Holdings, Ltd. (former code SEHK: 2618; delisted in 2016), China Display Optoelectronics Technology Holdings Ltd. (SEHK: 334), and Tonly Electronics Holdings Ltd. (SEHK: 1249), listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.[6]

TCL Technology's business structure is focused on three major sectors: semiconductor display, semiconductor and semiconductor photovoltaic, and industrial finance and capital.[7]

History

[edit]

The company was founded in 1981 by 2 close friends, Tomson Li Dongsheng and Luca Situ under the brand name TTK as an audio cassette manufacturer.[8] It was founded as a state-owned enterprise.[9]

In 1985, after being sued by TDK for intellectual property violation, the company changed its brand name to TCL by taking the initials from Telephone Communication Limited.

In 1999, TCL entered the Vietnamese market.[10]

On 19 September 2002, TCL announced the acquisition of all consumer electronics related assets of the former German company Schneider Rundfunkwerke, including the right to use its trademarks as Schneider, Dual, Albona, Joyce and Logix.[11]

In July 2003, TCL chairman Li Dongsheng formally announced a "Dragon and Tiger Plan" to establish two competitive TCL businesses in global markets ("Dragons") and three leading businesses inside China ("Tigers").[12]

In November 2003, TCL and Vantiva (then-named Thomson SA) of France announced the creation of a joint venture to produce televisions and DVD players worldwide.[13] TCL took a 67 percent stake in the joint venture, with Thomson SA holding the rest of the shares, and it was agreed that televisions made by TCL-Thomson would be marketed under the TCL brand in Asia, and the Thomson and RCA brands in Europe and North America.[13]

In April 2004, TCL and Alcatel announced the creation of a mobile phone manufacturing joint venture: Alcatel Mobile.[12] TCL injected 55 million euros in the venture in return for a 55 per cent shareholding.[12]

In April 2005, TCL closed its manufacturing plant in Türkheim, Bavaria, laying off 120 former Schneider employees.

In May 2005, TCL announced that its Hong Kong-listed unit would acquire Alcatel's 45 per cent stake in their mobile-phone joint venture for consideration of HK$63.34 million ($8.1 million) worth of TCL Communication shares.[14]

In June 2007, TCL announced that its mobile phone division planned to cease using the Alcatel brand and switch entirely to the TCL brand within five years.[15]

In April 2008, Samsung Electronics announced that it would be outsourcing the production of some LCD TV modules to TCL.[16]

In July 2008, TCL announced that it planned to raise 1.7 billion yuan ($249 million) via a share placement on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange to fund the construction of two production lines for LCD televisions; one for screens of up to 42 inches, and the other for screens of up to 56 inches.[17] TCL sold a total of 4.18 million LCD TV sets in 2008, more than triple the number during 2007.[18]

In January 2009, TCL announced plans to double its LCD TV production capacity to 10 million units by the end of 2009.[18]

In November 2009, TCL announced that it had formed a joint-venture with the Shenzhen government to construct an 8.5-generation thin film transistor-liquid crystal display production facility in the city at a cost of $3.9 billion.[19]

In March 2010, TCL Electronics raised HK$525 million through the sale of shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, in order to fund the development of its LCD and LED businesses and to generate working capital.[20]

In May 2011, TCL launched the China Smart Multimedia Terminal Technology Association in partnership with Hisense Electric Co. and Sichuan Changhong Electric Co., with the aim of helping to establish industry standards for smart televisions.

In January 2013, TCL bought the naming rights for Grauman's Chinese Theatre for $5 million.[21]

Grauman's Chinese Theatre, or TCL Chinese Theatre, at Hollywood, California

In 2014, TCL changed the meaning of its identifying initials from "Telephone Communication Limited" to a branding slogan, "The Creative Life", for commercial purposes.[22]

In February 2014, TCL spent 280 million RMB to purchase 11 percent shareholdings of Tianjin 712 Communication & Broadcasting Co., Ltd, a Chinese military-owned company which produces communication devices and navigation systems for the Chinese army.[23]

In August 2014, TCL partnered with Roku for use as TCL's primary smart TV platform.[24] TCL Corporation and Tonly Electronics was implicated in bribing a government official in Guangdong province in exchange for government subsidies.[25]

In October 2014, TCL acquired the Palm brand from HP for use on smartphones.[26][27]

In 2016, TCL reached an agreement with BlackBerry Limited to produce smartphones under the BlackBerry brand,[28] under BlackBerry Mobile. This deal ceased on 31 August 2020.[29]

In 2019, due to restructuring, TCL completed the handover of major assets and was split into TCL Technology Group Corporation (TCL Technology) and TCL Industrial Holdings (TCL Industrials).[30]

In 2020, TCL Technology acquired Samsung Display's assets in Suzhou, China, including a Gen 8.5 fab and a co-located LCD module plant.[31]

Operations

[edit]

TCL is organized into five business divisions:[2]

  • Multimedia: TV sets
  • Communications: cell phones and MIFI devices
  • Home Appliances: AC units and laundry machines
  • Home Electronics / Consumer Electronics: ODM products, like DVD, etc.
  • Semiconductor Display and Materials: including China Star Optoelectronics Technology (CSOT),[32][33] Guangdong Juhua Printing Display Technology Co., Ltd.[34] and Guangzhou ChinaRay Optoelectronic Materials Co., Ltd.[35]

In addition, it has four affiliated business areas covering real estate and investment, logistics services, online education services, and finance.[2]

In 2021, TCL had 28 research and development (R&D) organizations, 10 joint laboratories, and 22 manufacturing bases.[36] TCL Corporation also has its own research facility called TCL Corporate Research, which is located in Shenzhen, with the objective to research cutting-edge technology innovations for other subsidiaries.

Technology

[edit]

In 2020, TCL introduced an innovative display technology known as TCL NXTPAPER, characterized by its reduction of blue light and anti-glare capabilities, aimed at enhancing visual comfort.[37]

Products

[edit]
FFalcon Smart TV (TCL) 55"

TCL's primary products are TVs, DVD players, air conditioners, mobile phones, home appliances, electric lighting, and digital media. They also sell robot vacuum cleaners.[38]

It primarily sells its products under the following brand names:

  • TCL for TVs and air conditioners in Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, North America, South America, and Russia
  • Alcatel Mobile and Thomson for mobile phones (global)[39]
  • RCA-branded electrical products in the United States
  • Some Roku models in United States
  • Beginning in 2019, JB Hifi Electronics in Australia started selling a new line of budget Smart TV's under the brand name FFalcon, which are manufactured by TCL, and contain TCL firmware, software and components.[40]

The company, as of April 2012, is in venture with Swedish furniture giant IKEA to provide the consumer electronics behind the Uppleva integrated HDTV and entertainment system product.[41][42]

Smartphones

[edit]
The BlackBerry Key2, introduced in 2018, incorporates the QWERTY keyboard associated with the BlackBerry brand.

In 2016, it contract manufactured the Blackberry DTEK for BlackBerry Limited, under their flagship BlackBerry brand. In December 2016, it became a licensee of the BlackBerry brand, to manufacture, distribute, and design devices for the global market. Until August 2020, it distributed BlackBerry devices under the name of BlackBerry Mobile.

TCL is also the owner of the Palm brand. The company launched the Palm "ultra-mobile companion" smartphone in 2018.

In late 2019, TCL released their first own-branded Android phone, called the TCL Plex.[43][44][45]

TCL announced the 10 series for 2020, consisting of the TCL 10 SE, TCL 10L, TCL 10 Pro, TCL 10 Plus and TCL 10 5G.

TCL phone models and specs
Model Display type Display size Resolution Release date System on chip GPU RAM User memory Rear camera Front camera Battery
TCL Plex IPS LCD 6.53" Full HD+ 1080×2340 2019.10 Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 Adreno 612 6 GB 128 GB 48 MP

16 MP

2 MP

24 MP 3820 mAh
TCL 10 SE LCD 6.52" HD+ 720×1600 2020.7 MediaTek Helio P22 PowerVR GE8320 4 GB 48 MP

5 MP

2 MP

8 MP / 13 MP 4000 mAh
TCL 10L IPS LCD 6.53" Full HD+ 1080×2340 2020.5 Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 Adreno 610 6 GB 64 GB

128 GB

48 MP

8 MP

2x 2 MP

16 MP
TCL 10 Plus AMOLED 6.47" 2020.9 6 GB

8 GB

64 GB

128 GB

256 GB

4500 mAh
TCL 10 Pro 2020.5 Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 Adreno 612 6 GB 128 GB 64 MP

16 MP

5 MP

2 MP

24 MP
TCL 10 5G IPS LCD 6.53" 2020.7 Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G Adreno 620 64 MP

8 MP

5 MP

2 MP

16 MP
TCL 10 5G UW 2020.10 48 MP

8 MP

5 MP

TCL 20 5G 6.67" Full HD+ 1080x2400 2020.12 Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 Adreno 619L 128 GB

256 GB

48 MP

8 MP

2 MP

8 MP
TCL 20 Pro 5G AMOLED 2021.4 Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G Adreno 619 256 GB 48 MP

16 MP

2 MP

2 MP

32 MP
TCL 30 V 5G IPS LCD 2022.1 Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 4 GB 128 GB 50 MP

5 MP

2 MP

16 MP

TCL Channel

[edit]

In 2015, TCL launched its own streaming television service: GoLive TV or simply GoLive.[46] It was renamed TCL Channel in 2021.[citation needed]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Corporation, T. C. L. "TCL Corporation Annual report 2023" (PDF). www.cnlnfo.com.cn.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Corporation, T. C. L. "TCL Corporation Annual report 2019" (PDF). www.cnlnfo.com.cn. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  3. ^ Richards, David (24 November 2019). "TCL Set To Be A Major Global CE & Smartphone Brand, Roadmap Revealed". Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  4. ^ "TCL集团证券简称变更为"TCL科技"，000100持续升级科技战略布局 - 媒体新闻 - TCL华星光电技术有限公司". Szcsot.com. 6 February 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  5. ^ Pr, Ani (13 March 2024). "TCL Ranked as Global Top 2 TV Brand and No. 1 in 98 TV Category for Two Consecutive Years". ThePrint. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  6. ^ "Investor Relations". TCL Official Site. Archived from the original on 10 June 2009.
  7. ^ "百度安全验证".
  8. ^ "About TCL - TCL India". www.tcl.com. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  9. ^ "李东生称Tcl不可能退市 放弃"中国雄狮"称号_网易科技". tech.163.com. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  10. ^ "TCL Corp took global strategy to heart early - China - Chinadaily.com.cn". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  11. ^ "TCL International announces acquisition of assets from Schneider" (PDF). TCL Press Release. 19 September 2002. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 May 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  12. ^ a b c Murali, D. (16 April 2011). "A learning dragon with long strides". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 19 April 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  13. ^ a b "China Turns Into TV Powerhouse". CBS News. 10 November 2003. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  14. ^ "TCL Unit to Buy 45% Stake of Mobile-Phone Venture From Alcatel". Bloomberg L.P. 16 May 2005. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
  15. ^ "TCL to switch to own brand". China Daily. 20 June 2007. Archived from the original on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
  16. ^ "Samsung to outsource some work to China's TCL". Reuters. 29 April 2008. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  17. ^ "China TCL share placement to raise $249 million". Reuters. 15 July 2008. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  18. ^ a b "China's TCL to double LCD TV capacity". Reuters. 22 January 2009. Archived from the original on 18 December 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  19. ^ Yu, Rose (17 November 2009). "China to build $4bn advanced LCD plant". The Australian. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
  20. ^ "TCL Multimedia sees losses at U.S., Europe ops". Reuters. 8 October 2010. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  21. ^ Verrier, Richard (11 January 2013). "China firm buys naming rights to Grauman's Chinese Theatre". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 12 January 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  22. ^ "TCL - About Us". Archived from the original on 30 August 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  23. ^ "BRIEF-TCL plans to acquire 11 pct stake in Tianjin-based communication firm". Reuters. 9 February 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  24. ^ Roku. "Roku". Roku. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  25. ^ Zhi, Hui (14 August 2014). "China's TCL Corp implicated in bribery scandal". The FCPA. Archived from the original on 19 November 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  26. ^ "Palm could be coming back to life — as an Android phone from Alcatel". The Verge. 31 December 2014. Archived from the original on 2 January 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  27. ^ "Palm makes a comeback! TCL to 're-create' the brand". CNET. Archived from the original on 8 January 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  28. ^ "TCL signs an exclusive deal to build BlackBerry-branded phones". TechCrunch. 15 December 2016. Archived from the original on 15 December 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  29. ^ Kastrenakes, Jacob (3 February 2020). "BlackBerry phones could disappear as TCL partnership ends". The Verge. Archived from the original on 7 March 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  30. ^ "Benefited from Asset Restructuring of Parent Company, TCL". Bloomberg. 8 October 2019. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021.
  31. ^ "China Star Acquires Samsung Suzhou". Display Supply Chain Consultants. 31 August 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  32. ^ "szcsot.com". Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  33. ^ "Shenzhen Huaxing Photoelectric Technology Co. Ltd.: Private Company Information - Bloomberg". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  34. ^ "CYNORA and Juhua announce cooperation on OLED TVs". www.businesswire.com. 20 September 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  35. ^ "TCL announced "Establishing large-area OLED panel production plant", is solution processed RGB OLED mass production accelerated?". ChinaRay OLED - Industry News.
  36. ^ "TCL plans AI center in Eastern Europe".
  37. ^ "TCL launches 2 new tablets, a smartwatch and the world's first 'zero eye strain' display". CNET. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  38. ^ "TCL Robot Vacuum Cleaner - TCL UK". www.tcl.com. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  39. ^ Company Profile Archived 1 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine TCL Official Site
  40. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: JB Hi Fi Launch New FFalcon TV Brand Made By TCL (7th July, 2019)".
  41. ^ Anna Ringstrom (17 April 2012). "IKEA moves into consumer electronics with China venture". Thomson Reuters. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  42. ^ LOUISE NORDSTROM (17 April 2012). "IKEA to sell TVs integrated in its furniture". Bloomberg L.P. The Associated Press. Archived from the original on 27 April 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
  43. ^ "TCL Plex - Full phone specifications". www.gsmarena.com. Archived from the original on 29 January 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  44. ^ "TCL Plex smartphone review - mid-tier device that punches well above its weight". 8 November 2019. Archived from the original on 10 November 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  45. ^ Rowl, Chris (7 December 2019). "TCL Plex - Australian Review". Ausdroid. Archived from the original on 29 January 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  46. ^ Roettgers, Janko (9 January 2015). "Sneak peek: This is TCL's GoLive video streaming service". Gigaom. Archived from the original on 4 October 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
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