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To: Ian@SI who wrote (1010)5/28/1998 12:04:00 PM
From: jeffbas  Respond to of 1305
 
I agree, Ian. I was only making the ECM point as I find the trend of the very largest companies (like HWP) to get out of manufacturing rather startling. I do see that there are strategic and tactical reasons for some companies to retain their own mask shops (as an adjunct to R&D, for one thing), but I suspect that there will be fewer and fewer captive shops in the future.

If nothing else, how does such a captive shop answer the following CEO's question - You want $15 million for a new ETEC machine - how long do you expect to use it before masks become an obsolete technology? As time goes by, there will come a crossover point where the future life and the cost make no sense except for a company who is in the mask business.