Furukawa Electric to Expend 56.6 billion yen in F2007

Furukawa Electric expands the capital expenditure to 56.6 billion yen in fiscal 2007 started April from 41.8 billion yen in fiscal 2006. The firm uses earmarked 5 billion yen out of 20 billion yen of strategic fund, which the firm financed through equity issue in March 2005. The firm increases the expenditure to 170 billion yen for 4 years to fiscal 2009 compared with 150 billion yen announced in March 2006. The firm allocates the 27.6% of the expenditure budget to light metal unit and 19.8% for materials for energy and industrial machinery and 19.3% for metals to improve the competitiveness for the material businesses. The firm is expanding the casting furnace at Fukui plant of Furukawa-Sky Aluminum. The firm also continues expenditure from fiscal 2006 including expansion for semiconductor tape and foam sheet and for copper strip and foil. The firm expends around 2 billion yen for OFS to expand the output capacity of optical fiber cable at plants in Germany and Russia. The firm also expands the high voltage electric cable output at Chenyang Furukawa Cable to meet strong local demand. The firm tries to increase the control of Chinese joint venture for automobile parts by increasing the interests.