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BigE1960

08/05/19 12:01 PM

#75885 RE: trevorbc #75881

I've already expressed a potential reason why everyone is losing the display game to Nanosys-- It's tough to chase a moving target. To some degree it is also likely that some bet on changes to the regulatory environment that has yet to arrive and maybe never will.

The problem in pointing at cost all the time is that it is the ideological starting point based on lots of assumptions. As I have said before, unless you know what percentage of the final cost of the QD's is represented by the raw materials, it is difficult to understand the cost equation.

The capex is brought up a lot. In the case of Apple and Nanoco, the capital has already been spent. (And spent by Apple, not Nanoco.) If it were a cost issue that Nanosys or QMC could fix, Apple would probably have just switched QD suppliers and not swapped out technologies. Maybe that will happen down the road. If not, why? Probably because the cost of the QD's wasn't the problem.

Lastly, as soon as Nanosys publicized their low prices earlier this year, it broke all the models we have used here for years. It is possible they saw advantages to the Amazon model and Nanosys chose to play the low margin game to hold onto their share of market lead; making the display market less attractive to their competitors. Nanoco is not directly pursuing the display business, they are working through partners. One of those partners, Merck, is working on next gen display technologies that don't exist yet. Dupont could walk away from pursuing their neighbor and customer Samsung, but they don't appear to be giving up. Heck, their capital has also already been spent. At this point they could look at the business through the lens of incremental economics and the profitable conversion of raw materials. Or, they are not worried about their costs and have confidence in a longer term vision.

TedJ

08/05/19 12:11 PM

#75886 RE: trevorbc #75881

Nanoco did have a deal with Apple (assumed it is Apple since that seems to be the consensus here and elsewhere).

Apple and Nanoco signed a license and development agreement.

Apple paid a licensing fee?

Apple paid millions of Pounds to Nanoco for building a production facility that was completed in 2018 and is suppose to be fully commissioned by Dec. 2019.

Apple pulls the plug on the project in July but continues to pay for commissioning the facility and then:

The US Customer has formally released Nanoco from its obligation to repay GBP4.25m of capital funding provided for the new Runcorn production facility due to the uncertainty over the timing or use of the facility to manufacture the new nanomaterials. The facility was completed in December 2018 and is currently undergoing commissioning as part of the current contract of work that is due to expire on 31 December 2019.


https://uk.advfn.com/stock-market/london/nanoco-NANO/share-news/Nanoco-Group-PLC-Contract-Liability-Waived/80433814

If the problem was Nanoco's nano particle production cost was too high, then why would Apple release Nanoco from repaying the cost of the facility to Apple and then would allow Nanoco "the full production capacity will remain available for use by Nanoco to service any future demand from the US Customer or any other potential new customers with whom the Group is in early stage discussions."

Doesn't sound like the Apple that is usually pretty brutal with its suppliers.