Japanese, foreign chip makers developing post-disaster co-operation framework read more at here www.spinonews.com/index.php/item/1290-japanese-foreign-chip-makers-developing-post-disaster-co-operation-framework

Japanese and foreign semiconductor makers have started developing cooperation framework to ensure early recovery of plant operations following disasters.

The companies will discuss the idea of mutually providing materials, equipment and product parts necessary to resume the operations of factories damaged by a disaster or affected by disaster-induced parts shortages.

The industry moves based on lessons learned after a series of powerful earthquakes hit Kumamoto Prefecture, and nearby areas causing local semiconductor plants to halt operations.

However, a major challenge will be how to ensure that the envisioned cooperation does not block competition among the participants, as it may become necessary to disclose sensitive information on production facilities to rivals.

The Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA) set up a task force at the end of August to examine how such a system could be set up.

A total of 11 chipmakers have joined the team, which plans to draw up specific measures for collaboration by next summer. Following the Kumamoto quakes, plants run by Renesas, Mitsubishi Electric Corp., Sony and others halted operations.

Production at the Kikuyo plant returned to pre-disaster levels at the end of July, 3½ months after the Kumamoto quakes began.

For the recovery, Yasuhiro Ueda, president of Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp., which operates the Kikuyo plant, visited Renesas’ Kawajiri factory in the city of Kumamoto, the prefectural capital, to acquire know how on restoring operations.

 

According to sources, the JEITA task force will discuss a framework that will enable broader based cooperation such as the mutual supplying of materials, equipment and product parts.