Mar 25 2015
Photronics, Inc., a worldwide leader in supplying innovative imaging technology solutions for the global electronics industry, announced today that it has entered into strategic supply and technology license agreements with Micron Technology, Inc. whereby Photronics will receive outsourced photomask supply volume from Micron. Micron and Photronics will not renew their existing MP Mask joint venture after May 5, 2016, which is the ten year anniversary of its formation.
The new agreement places the company in the majority merchant supplier position for Micron. Upon the conclusion of the MP Mask joint venture, Micron may elect to purchase the MP Mask assets or Photronics’ equity interest in MP Mask, in which case Photronics will receive a payment based upon net book value as of May 5, 2016, which was approximately $93 million as of December 4, 2014.
“Both companies have seen a major transformation of their respective business and market position since we established our relationship in 2006,” said Constantine “Deno” Macricostas, Chairman and CEO of Photronics. “Looking forward to the next five to ten years, with technology advances and the size of our respective markets and capital requirements, we both came to the conclusion that it was best to transfer MP Mask’s assets to Micron while freeing capital for Photronics. This successful relationship helped propel Photronics to the global merchant leader. We are very appreciative of Micron and their support of Photronics through the years and we look forward to continuing our strong relationship in the future.”
“Implementing the joint venture served both companies well as we grew market share and achieved success in each of our respective markets,” stated Scott DeBoer, VP Research and Development for Micron. “Photronics has been a valued partner to Micron as we operated MP Mask together, and we look forward to continuing to work with Photronics in the future.”
A conference call with investors and the media to discuss this announcement is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, March 25, 2015. The live dial-in number is (408) 774-4601. The call can also be accessed by logging onto Photronics' web site at www.photronics.com. The call will be archived for instant replay access until the Company reports its fiscal 2015 second quarter results.
Source: http://www.photronics.com/