Sharp Corp. on Tuesday reported record earnings for the year that ended on March 31, powered by strong sales of liquid crystal panel TVs and camera-equipped cell phone handsets.
The firm also forecast record profits for the current year, with its digital consumer electronics products expected to log robust growth.
For fiscal 2003, the net profit of the Osaka-based company jumped 86 percent to 60.72 billion yen, while sales rose 13 percent to 2.26 trillion yen, also a record.
During the year, the company continued to enjoy strong demand for its LCD TVs. Unit sales of LCD TVs grew 70 percent to 1.48 million, but growth in value terms was steeper, with sales nearly doubling to 173.7 billion yen, as the number of pricier large models rose.
Its cell phone handsets also posted strong growth, with unit sales up 37 percent to 8.67 million as more people switched to camera-equipped handsets.