TCL Technology Group Corp. (originally an abbreviation for Telephone Communication Limited) is a Chinese partially state-owned electronics company headquartered in Huizhou, Guangdong province. TCL develops, manufactures, and sells consumer electronics like television sets, mobile phones, air conditioners, washing machines, refrigerators, and small electrical appliances. In 2010, it was the world's 25th-largest consumer electronics producer.[2] On 7 February 2020, TCL Corporation changed its name to TCL Technology.[3] It was the second-largest television manufacturer by market share in 2022 and 2023.[4]
 | |
 Headquarters in 2021 | |
Native name | TCL科技集团股份有限公司 |
|---|---|
Romanized name | TCL kējì jítuán gǔfèn yǒuxiàn gōngsī |
| Company type | Public; partly state-owned enterprise |
| SZSE: 000100 | |
| Industry | Consumer electronics Home appliances Finance |
| Founded | 1981 (as TTK) 1985 (as TCL Corporation) 2020 (as TCL Technology) |
| Founder | Li Dongsheng (李东生) and Luca Situ (司徒立生) |
| Headquarters | , China |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Li Dongsheng (CEO) |
| Products | Television sets, mobile phones, air conditioning, washing machines, refrigerators, robot vacuum cleaners |
| Services | Xbox Developer Forum (phone & TV) |
| Revenue |  US$10.087 billion (2023)[1] |
| US$1.884 billion (2023)[1] | |
| US$0.106 billion (2023)[1] | |
| Total assets | US$6.834 billion (2023)[1] |
| Total equity | US$2.210 billion (2023)[1] |
Number of employees | 35,379 (2019) |
| Subsidiaries |
|
| Website | tcl.com |
| TCL Technology Group | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | TCL科技集团 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | TCL科技集團 | ||||||
| |||||||
TCL comprises five listed companies: TCL Technology, listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE: 000100), TCL Electronics Holdings, Ltd. (SEHK: 1070), TCL Communication Technology Holdings, Ltd. (former code SEHK: 2618; delisted in 2016), China Display Optoelectronics Technology Holdings Ltd. (SEHK: 334), and Tonly Electronics Holdings Ltd. (SEHK: 1249), listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.[5]
TCL Technology's business structure is focused on three major sectors: semiconductor display, semiconductor and semiconductor photovoltaic, and industrial finance and capital.[6]
History
editThe company was founded in 1981 by 2 close friends, Tomson Li Dongsheng and Luca Situ under the brand name TTK as an audio cassette manufacturer.[7] It was founded as a state-owned enterprise.[8]
In 1985, after being sued by TDK for intellectual property violation, the company changed its brand name to TCL by taking the initials from Telephone Communication Limited.
In 1999, TCL entered the Vietnamese market.[9]
On 19 September 2002, TCL announced the acquisition of all consumer electronics related assets of the former German company Schneider Rundfunkwerke, including the right to use its trademarks as Schneider, Dual, Albona, Joyce and Logix.[10]
In July 2003, TCL chairman Li Dongsheng formally announced a "Dragon and Tiger Plan" to establish two competitive TCL businesses in global markets ("Dragons") and three leading businesses inside China ("Tigers").[11]
In November 2003, TCL and Vantiva (then-named Thomson SA) of France announced the creation of a joint venture to produce televisions and DVD players worldwide.[12] TCL took a 67 percent stake in the joint venture, with Thomson SA holding the rest of the shares, and it was agreed that televisions made by TCL-Thomson would be marketed under the TCL brand in Asia, and the Thomson and RCA brands in Europe and North America.[12]
In April 2004, TCL and Alcatel announced the creation of a mobile phone manufacturing joint venture: Alcatel Mobile.[11] TCL injected 55 million euros in the venture in return for a 55 per cent shareholding.[11]
In April 2005, TCL closed its manufacturing plant in Türkheim, Bavaria, laying off 120 former Schneider employees.
In May 2005, TCL announced that its Hong Kong-listed unit would acquire Alcatel's 45 per cent stake in their mobile-phone joint venture for consideration of HK$63.34 million ($8.1 million) worth of TCL Communication shares.[13]
In June 2007, TCL announced that its mobile phone division planned to cease using the Alcatel brand and switch entirely to the TCL brand within five years.[14]
In April 2008, Samsung Electronics announced that it would be outsourcing the production of some LCD TV modules to TCL.[15]
In July 2008, TCL announced that it planned to raise 1.7 billion yuan ($249 million) via a share placement on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange to fund the construction of two production lines for LCD televisions; one for screens of up to 42 inches, and the other for screens of up to 56 inches.[16] TCL sold a total of 4.18 million LCD TV sets in 2008, more than triple the number during 2007.[17]
In January 2009, TCL announced plans to double its LCD TV production capacity to 10 million units by the end of 2009.[17]
In November 2009, TCL announced that it had formed a joint-venture with the Shenzhen government to construct an 8.5-generation thin film transistor-liquid crystal display production facility in the city at a cost of $3.9 billion.[18]
In March 2010, TCL Electronics raised HK$525 million through the sale of shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, in order to fund the development of its LCD and LED businesses and to generate working capital.[19]
In May 2011, TCL launched the China Smart Multimedia Terminal Technology Association in partnership with Hisense Electric Co. and Sichuan Changhong Electric Co., with the aim of helping to establish industry standards for smart televisions.
In January 2013, TCL bought the naming rights for Grauman's Chinese Theatre for $5 million.[20]
In 2014, TCL changed the meaning of its identifying initials from "Telephone Communication Limited" to a branding slogan, "The Creative Life", for commercial purposes.[21]
In February 2014, TCL spent 280 million RMB to purchase 11 percent shareholdings of Tianjin 712 Communication & Broadcasting Co., Ltd, a Chinese military-owned company which produces communication devices and navigation systems for the Chinese army.[22]
In August 2014, TCL partnered with Roku for use as TCL's primary smart TV platform.[23] TCL Corporation and Tonly Electronics was implicated in bribing a government official in Guangdong province in exchange for government subsidies.[24]
In October 2014, TCL acquired the Palm brand from HP for use on smartphones.[25][26]
In 2016, TCL reached an agreement with BlackBerry Limited to produce smartphones under the BlackBerry brand,[27] under BlackBerry Mobile. This deal ceased on 31 August 2020.[28]
In 2019, due to restructuring, TCL completed the handover of major assets and was split into TCL Technology Group Corporation (TCL Technology) and TCL Industrial Holdings (TCL Industrials).[29]
In 2020, TCL Technology acquired Samsung Display's assets in Suzhou, China, including a Gen 8.5 fab and a co-located LCD module plant.[30]
Operations
editTCL is organized into five business divisions:[1]
- Multimedia: TV sets
- Communications: cell phones and MIFI devices
- Home Appliances: AC units and laundry machines
- Home Electronics / Consumer Electronics: ODM products, like DVD, etc.
- Semiconductor Display and Materials: including China Star Optoelectronics Technology (CSOT),[31][32] Guangdong Juhua Printing Display Technology Co., Ltd.[33] and Guangzhou ChinaRay Optoelectronic Materials Co., Ltd.[34]
In addition, it has four affiliated business areas covering real estate and investment, logistics services, online education services, and finance.[1]
In 2021, TCL had 28 research and development (R&D) organizations, 10 joint laboratories, and 22 manufacturing bases.[35] TCL Corporation also has its own research facility called TCL Corporate Research, which is located in Shenzhen, with the objective to research cutting-edge technology innovations for other subsidiaries.
Technology
editIn 2020, TCL introduced an innovative display technology known as TCL NXTPAPER, characterized by its reduction of blue light and anti-glare capabilities, aimed at enhancing visual comfort.[36]
Products
editTCL's primary products are TVs, DVD players, air conditioners, mobile phones, home appliances, electric lighting, and digital media. They also sell robot vacuum cleaners.[37]
It primarily sells its products under the following brand names:
- TCL for TVs and air conditioners in Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, North America, South America, and Russia
- Alcatel Mobile and Thomson for mobile phones (global)[38]
- RCA-branded electrical products in the United States
- Some Roku models in United States
- Beginning in 2019, JB Hifi Electronics in Australia started selling a new line of budget Smart TV's under the brand name FFalcon, which are manufactured by TCL, and contain TCL firmware, software and components.[39]
The company, as of April 2012, is in venture with Swedish furniture giant IKEA to provide the consumer electronics behind the Uppleva integrated HDTV and entertainment system product.[40][41]
Smartphones
editIn 2016, it contract manufactured the Blackberry DTEK for BlackBerry Limited, under their flagship BlackBerry brand. In December 2016, it became a licensee of the BlackBerry brand, to manufacture, distribute, and design devices for the global market. Until August 2020, it distributed BlackBerry devices under the name of BlackBerry Mobile.
TCL is also the owner of the Palm brand. The company launched the Palm "ultra-mobile companion" smartphone in 2018.
In late 2019, TCL released their first own-branded Android phone, called the TCL Plex.[42][43][44]
TCL announced the 10 series for 2020, consisting of the TCL 10 SE, TCL 10L, TCL 10 Pro, TCL 10 Plus and TCL 10 5G.
| Model | Display type | Display size | Resolution | Release date | System on chip | GPU | RAM | User memory | Rear camera | Front camera | Battery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TCL Plex | IPS LCD | 6.53" | Full HD+ 1080×2340 | 2019.10 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 | Adreno 612 | 6 GB | 128 GB | 48 MP
16 MP 2 MP |
24 MP | 3820 mAh |
| TCL 10 SE | LCD | 6.52" | HD+ 720×1600 | 2020.7 | MediaTek Helio P22 | PowerVR GE8320 | 4 GB | 48 MP
5 MP 2 MP |
8 MP / 13 MP | 4000 mAh | |
| TCL 10L | IPS LCD | 6.53" | Full HD+ 1080×2340 | 2020.5 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 | Adreno 610 | 6 GB | 64 GB
128 GB |
48 MP
8 MP 2x 2 MP |
16 MP | |
| TCL 10 Plus | AMOLED | 6.47" | 2020.9 | 6 GB
8 GB |
64 GB
128 GB 256 GB |
4500 mAh | |||||
| TCL 10 Pro | 2020.5 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 | Adreno 612 | 6 GB | 128 GB | 64 MP
16 MP 5 MP 2 MP |
24 MP | ||||
| TCL 10 5G | IPS LCD | 6.53" | 2020.7 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G | Adreno 620 | 64 MP
8 MP 5 MP 2 MP |
16 MP | ||||
| TCL 10 5G UW | 2020.10 | 48 MP
8 MP 5 MP | |||||||||
| TCL 20 5G | 6.67" | Full HD+ 1080x2400 | 2020.12 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 | Adreno 619L | 128 GB
256 GB |
48 MP
8 MP 2 MP |
8 MP | |||
| TCL 20 Pro 5G | AMOLED | 2021.4 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G | Adreno 619 | 256 GB | 48 MP
16 MP 2 MP 2 MP |
32 MP | ||||
| TCL 30 V 5G | IPS LCD | 2022.1 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 | 4 GB | 128 GB | 50 MP
5 MP 2 MP |
16 MP |
TCL Channel
editThis section needs to be updated. (June 2022) |
In 2015, TCL launched its own streaming television service: GoLive TV or simply GoLive.[45] It was renamed TCL Channel in 2021.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Corporation, T. C. L. "TCL Corporation Annual report 2023" (PDF). doc.irasia.com.
- ^ Richards, David (24 November 2019). "TCL Set To Be A Major Global CE & Smartphone Brand, Roadmap Revealed". Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ "TCL集团证券简称变更为"TCL科技"，000100持续升级科技战略布局 - 媒体新闻 - TCL华星光电技术有限公司". Szcsot.com. 6 February 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
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- ^ a b c Murali, D. (16 April 2011). "A learning dragon with long strides". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 19 April 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
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- ^ "Samsung to outsource some work to China's TCL". Reuters. 29 April 2008. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
- ^ "China TCL share placement to raise $249 million". Reuters. 15 July 2008. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
- ^ a b "China's TCL to double LCD TV capacity". Reuters. 22 January 2009. Archived from the original on 18 December 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
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- ^ "Palm could be coming back to life — as an Android phone from Alcatel". The Verge. 31 December 2014. Archived from the original on 2 January 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
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- ^ "szcsot.com". Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
- ^ "Shenzhen Huaxing Photoelectric Technology Co. Ltd.: Private Company Information - Bloomberg". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
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- ^ "TCL launches 2 new tablets, a smartwatch and the world's first 'zero eye strain' display". CNET. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
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- ^ "EXCLUSIVE: JB Hi Fi Launch New FFalcon TV Brand Made By TCL (7th July, 2019)".
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