Nippon Electric builds RI plant

Nippon Electric builds RI plant

CIKARANG, West Java (JP): PT Nippon Electric Glass Indonesia
will invest US$300 million in a plant which will produce five
million cathode-ray tubes here, the company's president, Masao
Yamahashi, said yesterday.

"We will initially invest $80 million to develop the first
stage of the industry," Yamahashi said after the ground-breaking
ceremony for the plant in a 20-hectare area in the Jababeka
industrial estate.

Yamahashi (left in the picture above) received a piece of the
traditional rice cone from Kiyosaku Kishida, president of Nippon
Electric Glass, after the ground breaking ceremony.

Yamahashi said the company is 70 percent owned by Nippon
Electric Glass, 20 percent by Sumitomo Corporation and 5 percent
by PT Bukaka, a local company.

Cathode-ray tubes are used for color television, computer
displays and monitors for factory automation, medical and radar
equipment.

He added that the plant will eventually become the biggest in
Southeast Asia after the Nippon Electric Glass factory in
Malaysia which has an annual capacity of 15 million cathode-ray
tubes.

The Malaysian plant cannot be expanded because of a shortage
of manpower, he said.

"I am sure there is a large number of workers whom we can
employ for our industry here," said Yamahashi, adding that he
will employ 100 in the first phase.

The company plans to export some of its products to Japan and
Taiwan.

Deputy president of the Jababeka Industrial Estate, S.D.
Darmono, said that Nippon Electric Glass is the fourth major
investor at the 800-hectare estate after United Tractor, Unilever
and Dharmala Group. (kod)