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To: Czechsinthemail who wrote (7421)	5/4/2000 1:49:00 AM
From: DJBEINO	Respond to of 9582

UMC restructures top management, expects at least 40% growth in foundry sales Semiconductor Business News (05/03/00, 08:04:17 PM EDT) TAIPEI, Taiwan -- United Microelectronics Corp. here today announced a reorganization of its top management structure, creating three separate chairmen positions for it's silicon foundry business, the Unipac Optoelectronics liquid-crystal display subsidiary, and Worldwiser Electronics, a subsidiary for high-density interconnect products. The move came in today's board of directors meeting, and the company said it would help UMC deal with an acceleration of investments and revenue growth in the three business units. UMC's silicon foundry revenues are now expected to reach $2.9 billion in 2000, a 40% increase over last year's $1.75 billion, according to the company, which called new estimate a conservative forecast. Unipac's revenues are expected to reach $395 million, and Worldwiser Electronics is projected to have $330 million in sales in 2000, said UMC. UMC president John Hsuan was named chairman of the silicon foundry operations, which is adding chip-processing volume to reach a capacity of 2.4 million eight-inch equivalent wafers by the end of 2000--an increase of 41% from 1.7 million wafers in 1999. In 2001, UMC's chip-processing capacity is expected to reach 3 million wafers a year (see Oct. 28, 1999, story). Ing Dar Liu was elected chairman of Unipac, and T.J. Tseng was named chairman of Worldwiser Electronics. The UMC board also appointed the company's existing chairman, Robert H.C. Tsao, as the chairman of UMC Group to continue his "strategic guidance and advice." The appointment and the naming of three chairman for UMC's subsidiaries will free Tsao from the demands of daily operations, and enable him to focus on strategic and financial planning, according to the company. Tsao said the management restructuring was in the works for some time and made necessary because of the large-scale investment and rapid revenue growth at the company this year. UMC currently has two 300-mm (12-inch) wafer fabs under construction--one in Japan with partner Hitachi Ltd. (see Dec. 27 story), and another in Taiwan's Tainan Science-Based Industrial Park. The 300-mm joint venture with Hitachi is expected to be in production by the start of 2001 and the Fab 12A fab in Tainan is scheduled to be equipped early next year. Unipac produces thin-film transistor (TFT) LCDs. The operation's newest plants, Fab 2 and Fab 3, both use a 3.5-generation technology on 610-mm-by-720-mm glass, said UMC. Fab 2 entered volume production last year and has a capacity of 30,000 substrates per month. Fab 3 will start volume production at the end of 2000. Worldwiser Electronics produces interconnect products for advanced printed-circuit boards and chip packages, such as ball-grid arrays (BGAs). According to information on the company's Web site, the operation had revenues of $242 million in 1999--$17 million in IC packaging and $225 million for printed-circuit board interconnect products. A new Taiwan plant for high-density interconnect products is scheduled to enter volume production in the middle of 2000, said the company semibiznews.com