Eyeing 9.6 Tln Won in Sales
- Samsung SDI records 29 pct increase in sales, 14.6 pct rise in profit last year

Samsung SDI Co.(President Kim Soon-taik), despite the difficult management environment last year, recorded the biggest sales and profit in its history, breaking records 5 years in a row, company officials said in announcing this year's management plan Jan.25.
The company announced that its sales came to 9.321,8 trillion won, operating profit 773.1 billion won, pre-tax profit 751.1 billion won and net profit 743.9 billion won, showing that sales are up 29.9 percent from a year ago, net profit up 14.6 percent.
The company said operating profit and pre-tax profit have been reduced due to measures to comply with US GAAP and changes in depreciation allowances for the company's subsidiaries in Brazil and China. If these depreciation allowances have not been taken operating profit would have been 1.550 trillion won and pre-tax profit 1.330 trillion won, up 16.1 percent and 25.2 percent from 2003 respectively. If those allowances have not been reflected, operating profit and pre-tax profit would have been the largest in the company's history, breaking records in 5 years in a row.
During the fourth quarter last year, sales amounted to 2.244,9 trillion won, operating profit minus 41.5 billion won, and pre-tax profit -45.1 billion won. But net profit amounted to 36.3 billion won. They were down 5.9 percent, 119.9 percent, 122.2 percent and 84,5 percent down.
Reductions in operating profit and pre-tax profit in the fourth quarter were caused by additional expenses due to depreciation allowances and one-tine charge of bonus amounting to 77 billion won and reductions in asset of the German subsidiary.
Sales by products last year show that PDP sales recorded 1.117 trillion won, second batteries 455 billion won, braun tubes 4.361 trillion won and mobile displays(LED+OLED) 3.170 trillion won. Sales of PDP and mobile displays advanced 105.3 percent and 52.9 percent respectively from the previous year, while those for second batteries and braun tubes expanded 32.3 percent and 8.6 percent respectively from 2003.
The company's moves to foster the growth of its three largest products including PDP, second batteries, and OLED) have been successful with the three products taking up 20 percent of total sales for the company last year from 14 percent in the previous year. PDP sold 870,000 units last year, up 163.6 percent from 330,000 units in the previous year, which in turn reduced the weight of braun tube from 56 percent of total sales to 47 percent last year.
PDP and OLED led the world in sales last year, joining color braun tube(29 percent) and LCD(23 percent) with 27 percent for PDP and 45 percent for OLED, making the company to have four top selling products in the world and record a grand slam.
Chief financial officer of Samsung SDI Lee Jeong-hwa said the sales target for this year have been set at 9.6 trillion won and the sales of the three products pushed by the company will rise to 31 percent(3 trillion won) of total sales from 20 percent(1.9 trillion won). He also said the weight of braun tube in sales would be further cut to 39 percent, while sales of non-braun tube products such as mobile phones and LCD will be pushed to 60 percent.
The CFO said the company has set aside 1.030 trillion won in investment this year with 81 percent of the outlay or 830 billion won going to OLED, PDP and FED and others to boost their sales in particular.
According to marketing plan laid out by the company for this year, the sale of 50-inch PDP will be pushed intensively so that the sales of HD-grade products will be hiked to 40 percent of all sales from 12 percent last year.
World market share of TFT module business will be boosted to 15 percent this year from 7 percent making the company one of the five dominant makers in the market. nw