TOKYO -- Japan Display is in talks with Apple and Sharp to sell its main Hakusan factory in Ishikawa Prefecture, multiple sources told Nikkei on Friday.
Japan Display, commonly known as JDI, has been restructuring its business and suspended display production at the factory in July due to poor sales.
The company hopes sale of the plant will help its turnaround efforts. Apple and Sharp are still considering how to share stakes in the facility.
JDI said in a statement on Friday that the company is "considering a wide range of options" regarding the Hakusan factory.
On Dec. 12, JDI announced that it was in the final stage of talks with a potential buyer -- likely Apple -- of equipment at the Hakusan plant for about $200 million.
It now appears that the scope of the talks has shifted to sale of the entire facility, including land and buildings.
Sources say that JDI is negotiating with Apple to sell the factory for 80 billion to 90 billion yen ($730 million to $820 million).
JDI was hit by fierce competition from rivals' production of liquid crystal displays. Sharp's production had risen due to strong demand for Apple iPhones.
JDI's Hakusan factory went online at the end of 2016, mostly producing LCD panels for iPhones. However, output plummeted after the U.S. tech giant switched mostly to next-generation OLED displays for its gadgets.
The plant is one of JDI's biggest factories. Apple paid nearly half the plant's 170-billion-yen construction cost in advance.
