Summary
Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. will recommence operation of the Sendai Plant of its wholly owned subsidiary Kanazawa Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. as of January 1, 2011 (the actual date will be January 5, the first day following the New Year’s holidays).
Background
Due to a rapid decline in the market for electronic components as a result of the global recession, Kanazawa Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. temporarily ceased operation of its Sendai Plant in April 2009.
Now, increasing use of cell phones in emerging markets such as China and India and the popularity of smart phones which employ a large number of components have seen demand for components rise significantly, and Kanazawa Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. therefore intends to resume the manufacture of surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters*, a key component of cell phones.
Full-time employees of the Sendai Plant, currently performing duties in Kanazawa, will successively return to their positions at the plant as production ramps up following resumption of operations. In future, we will ensure a stable supply of components for our customers via a system of two bases, our Kanazawa Plant and the Sendai Plant.
Explanation of terminology
Surface acoustic wave (SAW) filter
Surface acoustic waves are waves propagated along the surfaces of materials. SAW filters are filters that exploit the characteristics of these waves. Small and lightweight, SAW filters contribute to the realization of size reductions and more advanced functions in cell phones.
Cell phones use the VHF and UHF frequency bands centering on the range from 100 MHz to 3 GHz, and SAW filters are employed to filter the specific signals used in different systems within this frequency range.
Kanazawa Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Sendai Plant
Business name |
Kanazawa Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Sendai Plant |
Established |
July 25, 2008 |
Representative |
Fumio Sasaki, Representative
Kanazawa Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. |
Location |
2-6, Akedori 3-chome, Izumi-ku, Sendai-shi, Miyagi 981-3206 Japan |
Telephone number |
+81-22-342-7111 |
Number of employees |
160 (planned) |
Type of business |
Manufacture of piezoelectric products |
Kanazawa Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
Business name |
Kanazawa Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. |
Established |
August 1984 (Commencement of operations: July 1985) |
Capital |
480 million yen (wholly subscribed by Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.) |
Representative |
Fumio Sasaki, Representative |
Location |
Chi-18, Sodanimachi, Hakusan-shi, Ishikawa 920-2101 Japan |
Telephone number |
+81-76-273-1151 |
Number of employees |
2,050 (as of March 2010) |
Type of business |
Manufacture of piezoelectric products and high-frequency devices |