Telecom Lead Asia: Toshiba Corporation is relocating its
semiconductor manufacturing facility in Thailand to a new location, as part of
the company’s strategy to meet future growth demands and also to replace the
factory inundated by the 2011 floods.
Toshiba Semiconductor Thailand (TST), which was
originally located at Bangkadi Industrial Park in Pathumthani, will be shifted
to 304 Industrial Park, Prachinburi140km northeast of Bangkok. The new site is
at 15 to 20 meters above sea level and outside Thailand’s main drainage basins,
with no major rivers, so it offers TST advantages in the viewpoint of business
continuity planning (BCP).
Construction of a 2-story building will begin in July on
a lot with an area of approximately 135,000 square meters, 1.4 times the size
of the Bangkadi lot.
Established in 1990, TST carries out back-end
processes – assembly and packaging – for small signal devices and photocouplers.
The expansion also addresses the growing demand for these small signal devices
that control current and voltage in digital consumer products, with a primary
focus on smart phones and tablets PCs. Photocouplers are widely used in
industrial products, such as inverters, and are also expected to see strong
demand growth.
The plant is scheduled for completion next spring and
mass production is slated to start in the second quarter (April-June) of 2013.
Last year’s flooding completely inundated TST’s
manufacturing facilities, resulting in a forced suspension of operations. As
TST made every effort to recover operations, Toshiba responded with a BCP based on transferring
operations to its production facilities in Japan and Malaysia and making use of
outsourcing.
Earlier this year, Telecom Lead reported that Toshiba’s Digital Products Division (DPD), a
division of Toshiba America Information Systems, plans to introduce the Excite
X10 tablet, the world’s thinnest 10-inch tablet, to the U.S. market in the first
quarter of 2012.
Measuring in 0.3 inches (7.7mm) thin and weighing 1.18
pounds (535g), this tablet offers a premium design with essential ports and
features needed for a more complete experience.
