Fujitsu to close its semiconductor plant 6

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--> --> Fujitsu to close its semiconductor plant PORTLAND (AP) - Fujitsu announced today it will close its semiconductor plant in Oregon and lay off 670 workers. The Japanese electronics company blamed a declining computer chip market that has forced it to eliminate surplus capacity. The company announced last summer that it was trimming more than 16,000 workers from its worldwide work force of 180,000 due to slumping demand for electronics, computers and telecommunications equipment. The suburban Gresham plant was the first wafer fabrication operation that Fujitsu established in the United States when it opened in 1988, company officials said. The plant made semiconductors for flash memory chips, which the company said would be produced at its facility in Aizu-Wakamatsu, Japan. Flash memory is typically used to store data in cell phones, digital cameras and other handheld electronic devices. Fujitsu considered converting the Gresham plant to a joint venture with Advanced Micro Devices Inc., its longtime partner in the flash memory business, but the computer chip market had deteriorated beyond expectations. The company said it does not expect any recovery in the flash memory market before 2003. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing