Hitachi
High-Technologies Corporation (President: Hidehito Obayashi; Hitachi High-Technologies)
and Renesas Technology Corp. (Chairman: Katsuhiro Tsukamoto, Renesas) today
announced a basic agreement for the transfer of the semiconductor manufacturing
equipment business of wholly owned Renesas subsidiary Renesas Eastern Japan
Semiconductor, Inc. (President: Yukio Murayama; Renesas Eastern Japan Semiconductor)
to Hitachi High-Tech Instruments Co., Ltd. (President: Yoshinao Kawasaki; Hitachi
High-Tech Instruments), a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi High-Technologies.
Scheduled for next spring, this business transfer is expected to enhance Hitachi
High-Technologies' semiconductor manufacturing equipment business and
improve management efficiency.
Renesas Eastern Japan Semiconductor is currently charged with the development
and manufacture of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, with Hitachi High-Technologies
largely responsible for global sales of these products. However, both Hitachi
High-Technologies and Renesas have acknowledged that the integrated management
of development through to manufacturing, sales and services pertaining to semiconductor
manufacturing equipment is the most desirable option going forward. This recognition
applies not only to the ability to respond flexibly to the changing market environment
in recent years, further business structure enhancements, and improved management
efficiency, but also to efforts to accelerate the development of new products
that reflect customer needs.
With this latest business transfer, Hitachi High-Technologies aims to establish
and strengthen its business base in the semiconductor back-end process equipment
business, where market expansion is widely anticipated. Specifically, the transfer
will see Renesas Eastern Japan Semiconductor as the absorbed company, with Hitachi
High-Tech Instruments as the surviving company. Through synergies with technological
and development capabilities honed by Hitachi High-Tech Instruments in the surface
mount systems and semiconductor manufacturing equipment businesses over the
years, Hitachi High-Technologies will strive to expand business by bringing
even more superior products to market.
Renesas, for its part, is pursuing various measures targeting its production
structure, employee resource optimization, and other areas with the goal of
improving and enhancing a stable management base – one capable of securing
profits even under the adverse business climate that has emerged since last
year. The business transfer represents an important decision for Renesas in
terms of promoting effective resource utilization for the enhancement of its
core competency, the microcontroller business. In pursuing the swift completion
of a variety of similar measures going forward, Renesas is determined to realize
a more stable management base and a stronger business base for its own operations.
Due diligence for this transfer of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment
business is presently moving forward. Based on the outcome of this process,
Hitachi High-Technologies, Hitachi High-Tech Instruments, Renesas, and Renesas
Eastern Japan Semiconductor are scheduled to sign a final contract in December
2009.
This transfer of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment business has negligible
impact on the FY2009 consolidated financial results of Hitachi High-Technologies.
Posted October 28th, 2009
