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SEZ Completes Takeover of Japanese Joint Venture
Villach, Austria --May 30, 2001--The SEZ Group (SWX: SEZN) has again increased its investment in Asia, raising its ownership stake in SEZ Japan to 100 percent, giving SEZ full control of the company. SEZ now maintains a fully integrated local operation that will allow it to offer comprehensive direct customer service and support to its Japanese customers. Outside of Japan, SEZ maintains Asian offices in Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan.
SEZ completed the takeover in order to have direct local operations in the critical Japanese marketplace. Approximately 20 percent of all capital equipment spending comes from Japan's domestic market, which includes three of the top ten IDMs globally. Increasingly, Japanese IC manufacturers are transferring technology to fabs outside of the country, especially into the Asia-Pacific region. This represents a significant potential for even greater capital equipment spending in the future and SEZ is now positioned to capitalize on such investments.
In a further effort to strengthen the company's ties to Asia, SEZ also appointed Jack Schmuckli to its board of directors. Schmuckli brings considerable insight to SEZ regarding the business situation in Japan and Asia due to his long tenure as the chairman and CEO for Sony Europe, Electronics Operations from 1986-1998. Additionally, Schmuckli was a member of the board of directors for Sony Corporation, Tokyo from 1989 to 1998.
"SEZ continues to pursue every approach to support our customers around the world," explained Herwig Petschnig, COO of the SEZ Group. "SEZ already services both 200 and 300 mm platforms in Japan and our client base includes the country's top ten IC manufacturers. The takeover of SEZ Japan gives us the capability to fully support chipmakers in Japan, as well as all of Asia, as the industry increasingly adopts 300 mm technology and our market share grows in this key region."
In July 2000, SEZ became the primary partner in its previous joint venture with Sumisho Electronic Devices by increasing its stake to 80 percent ownership. At that time, SEZ took over the existing infrastructure and personnel in Japan. The full integration of SEZ Japan into the global SEZ Group will solidify the company's support of the Japanese semiconductor market.
SEZ currently has offices in Tokyo and Nagaoaka and supports all of SEZ's tools. The company currently has 120 systems installed in Japan, including the Spin-Processor 101, the Spin-Processor 203 and the 300 mm Spin-Processor 304 for development and production.
About SEZ
The SEZ Group is a leading supplier of wet wafer surface preparation equipment to the global semiconductor manufacturing industry. The company's breakthrough proprietary Spin-Processor technology forms the basis of a broad portfolio of single wafer backside and frontside wafer surface conditioning products for semiconductor chipmakers worldwide. Additionally, the company offers a complete range of wet bench equipment for batch processing. SEZ maintains development, manufacturing, sales, marketing and service operations in Europe, Asia and North America. Registered in Zurich, Switzerland, SEZ Holding AG is listed on the Swiss Exchange under the symbol (SWX: SEZN).
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