Effective October 1, 2002, Kobe Steel’s copper leadframe operation will merge with its subsidiary Leadmikk Ltd. The merged operation will be called Kobe Leadmikk Ltd and will be based in Fukuoka, Japan.
Kobe Steel currently produces copper sheet and strip and stamps it into leadframes for use in devices such as power transistors. Leadframes are the metal frames which semiconductor chips are placed and provide the electrical connections for the finished packaged devices. Leadmikk plates the leadframes, so the merger consolidates this aspect of Kobe’s business.
Kobe Steel will own 75% of Kobe Leadmikk, with the remaining 25% being owned by Metek Kitamura Co. Kobe Leadmikk will be involved with both the stamping and plating of the leadframes.
Kobe Leadmikk will be capitalised at 1.8 billion yen and will employ 250 people.
Kobe Steel has been involved in the leadframe business since 1984, when it established Leadmikk, with Metek Kitamura who were already involved with plating. The following year Kobe Steel established its leadframe stamping operation and has subsequently built another stamping plant in Singapore.
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