Color CRT fall in to two categories, color picture tubes (CPTs) for TVs and higher resolution color display tubes (CDTs) for computer monitors. The markets for both have enjoyed continuous growth for many years: TVs are one of the great successes in consumer electronic products, while the recent and growing popularity of personal computers had fueled demand for CDT. Worldwide, CRT production is now estimated at approximately 175 million units a year.

Toshiba's annual production of CPTs and CDTs now stands at approximately 16 million units, securing the company some 10 percent of the world market. Production is undertaken at two plants in Japan, a U.S. plant and a Thai plant. This will soon be augmented by production at a new CPT manufacturing company in Indonesia. This most recent of Toshiba's CRT-related investments in Asia follows on from the start-up of full-scale manufacturing of CDTs in Thailand last August.

Since starting production in 1959, Toshiba has supported its manufacturing with an R&D operation that has assured the company's market leadership. Toshiba innovations have supported the development of more compact tubes with bigger screens, offering improved performance in picture quality and power consumption. The company is now focusing on large screen and wide screen CPTs, and higher resolution CDTs. Among recent breakthroughs are the development and introduction of the "microfilter tube", which improves picture quality by achieving 36 percent higher contrast than its predecessors. First products utilizing the new tubes, 32-inch and 28-inch color TVs, were introduced in March 1995. The new tubes can also be used in computer monitors, and they will be incorporated in a new type of 15- and 17-inch CDTs to be introduced next spring; production of a 21-inch monitor will follow, in summer 1996.

Celebrating the 200 million milestone, Masaru Fujiwara, Group Executive of Electron Tube, Device & Material Group noted, "We are delighted to reach 200 million. We have reached this record level by supplying our customers with innovative, reliable products. We will continue to do this, and hope to achieve further development of our business."