Fujikura Expands HDD Parts and Metal Mold in Thailand

Fujikura announced on Thursday the firm expands its output capacity for hard disk drive (HDD) parts and metal molds in Thailand. The firm will start commercial operation of no.6 plant in October 2007 and no.7 plant in April 2008 to increase output volume of HDD parts at LTEC, Fujikura’s productive subsidiary for electronic components in Lamphun industrial estate, Thailand. Another subsidiary, Fujikura Engineering (Thailand), to produce metal molds in Navanakorn industrial estate, Thailand, started commercial operation of no.2 plant at the end of June, 2007.Fujikura will meet the increasing demand for HDDs applied into home digital appliances and personal computers. Metal molds are supplied to subsidiaries and affiliates of Fujikura Group especially in Thailand.LTEC is a main production base for HDD parts, called HDD carriages, in Fujikura Group. There locate no.1-5 plants for HDD carriage production at LTEC whose floors total 46,300 square meters. No.6 plant of 10,000 square meters and no.7 plant of 2,500 square meters are now constructed with investment of 2.5 billion yen. LTEC’s HDD carriage output capacity will expand by 25-30% after no.6 and no.7 plants start operation. Fujikura estimates its HDD carriage sales could increase by 5 billion yen per annum after 2008.FET supplies precise metal molds for electronic components to Fujikura Group companies mainly in Thailand. No.2 plant of 3,700 square meters was established with investment of 900 million yen.