Zhejiang Jingsheng Mechanical & Electrical Co. (Jingsheng) has put its sapphire project into high gear as sapphire ingot prices rise. Its subsidiary factory in Inner Mongolia has already begun installing sapphire growth furnaces. 

Jingsheng has increased the speed of their sapphire project as ingot prices continue to increase, said an employee in the company’s securities department on April 23, 2014. The company has already begun installing sapphire furnaces and plans to introduce products to the market earlier than originally anticipated.  

Additionally, the same employee on an investor platform mentioned that although LED substrate is the current focus of the company, if market conditions and timing is right, there is a chance the company will look to develop sapphire displays and window panes. 

Sapphire production at the Inner Mongolia factory is anticipated to begin during the last half of this year, said a company employee. In the initial stages of the sapphire project, the company plans to use 100  sapphire growth equipments. If market demand increases, the company could possibly increase equipment volume to over 100 units. 

As one of the earliest companies to enter the sapphire industry, Jingsheng successfully developed in-house sapphire wafer growth furnaces. The company established a joint venture with CMC in Inner Mongolia to produce sapphire, with Jingsheng owning 80 percent in shares. The sapphire growth furnaces developed by the company are used in-house and are not sold, due to the correlation between equipment usage and production process. As sapphire demand grows and the company gradually increases production capacity, it is anticipated that sapphire will become the company’s main business in the future.