FlexEnable, the leader in the development and industrialisation of flexible 
organic electronics, has acquired Merck's portfolio of best-in-class, 
high-performance Organic Thin-Film Transistor (OTFT) materials, including 
revolutionary and highly-patented organic semiconductors and dielectrics. The 
deal makes FlexEnable the first company to offer display manufacturers both the 
only OTFT materials which are proven to have higher performance than amorphous 
silicon, and an entire package of industrially-proven manufacturing processes 
needed for production of flexible organic liquid crystal displays (OLCD) of any 
size. With this material set and manufacturing IP, flat panel display companies 
can produce low-cost, area-scalable flexible displays, sensors and devices for 
mass-market applications such as consumer electronics, automotive, retail and 
beyond. 

The acquisition of Merck's OTFT materials – now branded as FlexEnable 
FlexiOM(TM) – includes over 300 patents covering materials, processes and 
devices. This brings FlexEnable's total number of organic electronics patents 
to over 1,000. FlexiOM(TM) materials, together with FlexEnable's proprietary 
low-temperature processes, allow glass TFT backplanes to be replaced with 
flexible OTFT backplanes enabling thin, lightweight, shatterproof and flexible 
devices. The deal includes all of the trailblazing IP and know-how developed by 
Merck over nearly 20 years, as well as the necessary materials supply chain. 
FlexEnable is now employing key members of technical staff responsible for the 
development of the materials and intends to continue to advance and broaden 
this materials platform going forward.

"Across industries such as consumer electronics and automotive, flexible 
displays are the catalyst for the next generation of experiences and products," 
said Chuck Milligan, CEO of FlexEnable. "We have been working closely with the 
Merck's organic materials portfolio and team for many years and we saw here a 
unique synergy with our expertise that would put us ahead of the competition to 
replace flat glass displays in what is currently a $100 billion addressable 
market. The addition of FlexiOM(TM) materials to our industry-leading processes 
will significantly increase our revenue opportunity and further strengthen our 
business model, while providing a rapid route for display makers to 
commercialise large-area flexible displays needed now for many applications." 

"We are delighted to be able to offer our customers the world's strongest 
organic electronics materials set, and also to welcome our new team members 
coming from Merck. We are also excited to welcome new customers requiring these 
high-performance organic materials for a broad spectrum of applications outside 
of displays." added Chuck Milligan. 

The addition of the FlexiOM(TM) OTFT materials to the FlexEnable portfolio 
lowers the barrier to entry for flexible OLCD production in existing LCD 
factories. Display manufacturers and OEMs can for the first time license 
technical processes and the requisite materials as a complete solution, 
accelerating the adoption of OLCD on existing flat panel display production 
lines with minimal capital expenditure, while still utilising the rest of their 
existing LCD supply chains.  
FlexEnable's FlexiOM(TM) OTFT materials are available immediately to customers 
worldwide for any organic electronics applications.

About FlexEnable 

With over 1000 patents and more than 1000 engineering years in the development 
of organic materials and manufacturing processes, FlexEnable is the worldwide 
leader in organic electronics. We have developed and industrialised a complete 
low-temperature manufacturing process for small and large-area organic 
electronics on ultra-thin plastic substrates. FlexEnable also owns the 
best-in-class, highest-performance organic materials - FlexiOM(TM) - making us 
the only company to offer both materials which are better than amorphous 
silicon and industrially-proven enabling manufacturing processes. FlexEnable is 
bringing organic electronics technology to market in a fabless business model. 
Our processes and solutions have been developed to be run on existing flat 
panel display lines, leveraging existing assets and supply chain. Applications 
for FlexEnable's technology include flexible displays for consumer electronics 
and automotive interiors, flexible sensors and optics. FlexEnable supplies 
FlexiOM(TM) materials and transfers and licenses its unique technology platform 
to display manufacturers. We also work directly with OEM and Tier 1 companies 
on developing next generation products, from design to prototyping and product 
qualification all the way to volume production. 

For more information please visit www.flexenable.com or contact 
info@flexenable.com.

Media Contact: pr@flexenable.com, 0208 811 2474

SOURCE: FlexEnable