Japan

11/01/1996

Japan

Fujitsu to focus exclusively in DRAM and flash memory. Japanese press reports indicate that Fujitsu will get out of the static RAM market and focus its attention on DRAM and flash memory. By the end of this fiscal year, Fujitsu will stop operating a 15-year-old fab line in Iwate Prefecture, Japan, that currently makes SRAMs and video game ROMs.

NEC is reportedly planning a small expansion of its Roseville, CA, fab. The company may spend about $55 million on retooling the fab to add 0.35-?m capabilities to a 150-mm line there, while shifting some production to an adjacent 125-mm line, according to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper in Japan. The company reportedly wants to fully utilize existing facilities to achieve better production efficiency at minimal cost.

Material handling developer Fluoroware Inc., Chaska, MN, and Nippon Valqua Industries, Tokyo, are establishing a joint venture in Japan, called Fluoroware-Valqua Japan KK, to be headquartered in Tokyo. The venture will provide factory-direct sales, marketing, technical support, and service of the companies` material handling product lines. The new venture will allow Fluoroware to centralize its sales, service, and support in Japan. Fluoroware-Valqua Japan KK will begin operations in February 1997.