Winbond rebuilds Fab 3

01/01/1998

Winbond rebuilds Fab III

One year after a fire ripped through Winbond Electronics Corp.`s Fab III, the company said it has started to rebuild the Hsinchu, Taiwan, facility, and expects operations to begin by 1999.

A Winbond spokesman said the company had received an insurance settlement of an undisclosed amount; and construction is expected to run from the current quarter through the 3Q of this year. Pilot and volume production of 64-Mbit DRAMs will begin in 1999.

Before the fire, plans called for volume production at the 200-mm fab to begin in the 1Q of 1997. According to information on the fire compiled by SEMI, damages at the facility totaled at least $250 million. The facility was insured for property damage by a consortium of five companies; it did not carry business interruption insurance. -P.N.D.