TOKYO (AFP) -- Sony Corp. (SNE:46.69, -0.01, 0.0%) said Monday that it will end all production of its traditional-style cathode ray tube televisions by the end of the month, four decades after their launch, as consumers switch to flat-screen TVs.
Sony Corp. ended production of cathode-ray tubes in Japan in 2004, but continued to produce the old-style TVs under the "Trinitron" brand at plants in Singapore and Malaysia to meet limited demand in Latin America and parts of Asia.
Now it has decided to pull the plug on the remaining operations.
"We are going to end production of cathode ray tubes at the end of March," a Sony spokesman said.
The Singapore unit, Sony Display Device, employed 680 people as of last year. The group said it was trying to find the workers alternative positions.
Sony has sold a total of 280 million cathode ray tubes since it introduced the TVs in 1965, followed by the first Trinitron model three years later.
At the peak of their popularity, production of cathode ray tubes for both TVs and computer monitors topped 20 million units a year in 2000.
Sony's production of cathode ray tubes in the current fiscal year to March is expected to fall 40% from the previous year to 2.8 million units, while shipments of liquid crystal displays are set to top 10 million units.
Demand is booming in the flat TV market but intense price competition is forcing companies to seek ways to drive down costs.
Last week Sony announced a tie-up with fellow high-tech giant Sharp in LCD panels in the latest industry alliance triggered by the fierce rivalry.
