– Planar acquires privately-held Runco International, accelerating its presence in the global custom home theater market and its corporate initiative to capitalize on high-value specialty display products and solutions. Known worldwide for producing the world’s finest home theater products, Runco has been a leading brand in the high-end, custom home theater market for the past two decades, and has developed some of the industry’s most advanced home theater solutions, such as CineWide (patent pending) technology and Video Xtreme™ projection equipment.
– The acquisition of privately-held Clarity gives Planar access to two additional specialty display markets: Command and Control and the fast growing Digital Signage market. Clarity has been a leading provider of command and control digital displays and digital signage hardware and software systems for wide-ranging applications.
– Planar hires a team of industry experts to launch an initiative aimed at the high-end, specialty Home Theater market. The company launches an initiative to focus on creating a product portfolio that addresses the discriminating preferences of home theater buyers, who are typically served by specialty resellers and audio/visual installers.
– Planar announces a new strategy focusing on specialty display, niche markets. The company’s new strategy is aimed at moving the company toward more specialty, value-added display markets that offer higher gross margin opportunities over time and includes additional investments in its legacy specialty display segments: Medical and Industrial.
– Planar continues to generate significant cash flows adding $35M to the cash balance during the year. Toward the end of 2005, the company brings on new leadership focused on driving shareholder value by hiring a new President and CEO, Gerry Perkel and a new CFO, Scott Hildebrandt.
– Planar introduces the Dome E4c, the first medically certified 4-Megapixel Color Diagnostic Imaging Display designed for use in areas such as radiology, cardiology, nuclear medicine (NM), positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), dermatology and the OR.
– Planar introduces the SD1710, a Stereoscopic 3D LCD monitor which uses StereoMirror™ technology.The SD1710 is ideal for imaging applications in geospatial intelligence and photogrammetry where customers need 3D viewing to discern depth in the imagery and interprete spatial details.
– Weathering unprecedented volatility in component supply and pricing, Planar’s commercial business achieves $122 million in sales during the fiscal year and solidifies its rank as the ninth largest flat-panel monitor provider in North America.
– Planar targets the retail environment as a business opportunity for a variety of display solutions, and launches its DS15 “interactive marketing solution” to deliver the benefits of technology to directly serve customers of retail establishments.
– By using its scale advantages to drive down costs and its channel relationships to simplify availability, Planar takes the offensive in the face of increasing competition in the robust market for digital imaging displays in healthcare.
– Unveiled in its 20th-anniversary year, Planar’s updated brand elements reflect the company’s heritage and dynamic opportunities ahead as the source of Display Innovation You Depend On.
– Planar’s commercial monitor business finishes the fiscal year with $55 million in revenue. More than 100 on-line resellers are marketing Planar’s extensive line of desktop monitors, and the company establishes itself as the customer service leader.
– Planar announces the consolidation of all EL manufacturing in its Finland facility, and the closure of its Oregon EL facility. Also, citing profound contraction in the telecommunications market, the photonics business is closed. These two items, plus the LCD plant closure announced earlier, result in a $20 million non-recurring charge, with cash impact of $4.1 million, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2002.
– Planar announces the closure of its LCD manufacturing facility in Lake Mills, Wisconsin. Through partnerships with Asian manufacturers, Planar is able to source a wider diversity of components at more favorable unit costs, thereby preserving the broadest line of display solutions available.
– Planar acquires Boston-based DOME Imaging Systems and strengthens its position as a global leader in medical display solutions. DOME’s high-resolution flat-panel displays and display controller cards, specially designed for radiological imaging applications, extend Planar’s complete suite of medical display solutions.
– Planar concludes activities in the production of tube-style CRT products.
– Investment made in TopVision Display Technologies, Inc., a Taiwan-based manufacturer of flat-panel color AMLCD monitors.
– Acquisition of AllBrite Technologies of San Diego, California, the leading supplier of flat-panel displays to the growing ATM and outdoor kiosk markets. The acquisition adds to Planar’s presence in the industrial market.
– The fiscal year begins with the launch of the line of Planar-branded commercial desktop monitors, available in three sizes and five colors from leading online retailers.
– Forms partnership with Truly Semiconductor, providing added manufacturing capacity of LCD products from Truly’s mainland-China plant and establishing Planar as exclusive distributor of Truly products in certain North American markets.
– Planar decides to close its military avionics display business, though many of its industrial-grade display components continue to be used in military applications.
– Jim Hurd, founder and former CEO, passes away due to long-term illness.
– Planar enters the new fiscal year with the appointment of Balaji Krishnamurthy as president and CEO.
– Planar’s Evergreen manufacturing facility opens in Hillsboro, Oregon, increasing the company’s EL manufacturing capabilities.
– Planar is considered the largest and most diversified custom display systems company in North America, targeting three core markets: medical, transportation and industrial.
– Launches line of medical monitors, which quickly gain acceptance in the market.
– Acquires Standish Industries, of Lake Mills, Wisconsin, adding diverse capabilities in liquid crystal display (LCD) design and manufacturing.
– Adds CRT display capability to the technology mix, acquiring the avionics display unit from Tektronix.
– Initial public offering on the NASDAQ exchange, under the symbol PLNR.
– Expands into European market by acquiring FINLUX, an EL manufacturer in Espoo, Finland, with technological expertise in the atomic layer deposition (ALD) process.
– Planar Systems founded by Jim Hurd, Chris King and John Laney. Acquires electroluminescent (EL) rights from Tektronix and becomes the first U.S. manufacturer of commercial EL displays. Establishes headquarters and first manufacturing plant in Beaverton, Oregon.
