To: Zeev Hed who wrote (3417 ) 6/2/1998 10:08:00 PM From: Scotsman Respond to of 4697
More stuff. If ya'll get tired of it just yell, but hopefully we will see this as an indicator of a bottom when the articles start to turn positive for once. 06-03-98 Chip Makers Plan to Reduce Output to Bolster Prices Korea's leading semiconductor makers, sandwiched between pressure to cut output to prevent further price fall and the need to maintain market share, finally appear set to follow the former direction, industry sources said yesterday. ''The nation's major semiconductor producers are being driven home to the dire need to reduce their production due to sharp price falls in the international market,'' said an industry official. ''At the same time, however, they are unwilling to take the lead out of fears on losing their competitive edge as well as market shares.'' The recent supply glut of semiconductors has drastically lowered their prices, forcing companies to cut down on their shipments to restore price competitiveness. The nation's three leading semiconductor companies _ Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Electronics Industries and LG Semicon _ are all saying that the reduction in production is a must, the sources said. ''All of the three companies share the same view that we should reduce our shipments or stop production lines for a while,'' an LG spokesman said. He attributed the slump in the prices of semiconductors in the world market to Taiwan's massive supply of underpriced models. ''The prices of 64-M DRAM stood at around $20. But now you can buy them at less than half the price,'' said the LG official, adding that more widely used 16-M DRAM is sold even under $1. He said that the three companies are now in discussion to readjust their production volume, but no conclusion has yet been reached. Hyundai Monday hinted that it would stop its production lines during this weekend. But the company later backed off from its position, saying that it would do so only if other companies also choose to reduce their production. However, the reduction decision by the three companies, which account for about 40 percent of the world's semiconductor market, may provoke foreign makers to increase their production volume, warned a Hyundai official. ''Even if we agree to cut our production, there's no assurance that foreign companies will follow suit. In a worst case, we could lose our competitiveness and market share,'' he said. But industry sources said that a reduction may be inevitable to help turn around the plummeting semiconductor prices.