Resumption of Operations at Kanazawa Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Sendai Plant

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

Kanazawa Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.