Fujikura Keeps Aggressive Capex for Growth by F2010

Fujikura announced on Monday the firm set the 3-year capital expenditure at 120 billion yen and the 3-year research and development expenditure at 55 billion yen for fiscal 2008-2010 ending March 2011. The capex totaled 93.4 billion yen and the R&D investment 38.5 billion yen for fiscal 2005-2007. Fujikura aims the growth and expansion path with the continuous and aggressive capex. The management funds are concentrated into the Electronics & Auto division following the previous 3 years.Fujikura plans annual capex at 40 billion yen for fiscal 2008, 50% of which will be spent for the Electronics & Auto division, 13% for the Telecommunication division. In the Electronics & Auto division, more than half of the capex will be spent for flexible print circuits. As to the Telecom division, the firm aims to strengthen competitiveness of the optical fiber business while develop the new businesses such as photoelectronic devices and optical fiber utilization for non-telecom applications.R&D budgets will be spent for development of new products in the Telecom and Electronic & Auto divisions and new technologies including high temperature superconductor and dye-sensitised solar cell. Fujikura established an R&D center in Thailand, where Fujikura’s productive subsidiaries are concentrated, in April. The center will start the operation in October 2008 with several local staffs. Fujikura now has 2 general R&D centers in USA and Thailand. The firm will reinforce its R&D potential by cooperation of these centers and Sakura works, Chiba, Japan, the main R&D site of Fujikura group.