History 1999: WD Transfers All Production to Malaysia

Financially-troubled Western Digital has decided to close its HDD assembly plant in Chai Chee, Singapore and to move all manufacturing operations to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by the end of January 2000.

The company’s employment in Singapore will be reduced from 2,800 to 750, of which 700 work in its customer service center, which the company is in currently negotiating to sell to a third party.

Only 100 Singapore workers are expected to be transferred to Malaysia.

WD will nonetheless maintain a presence in Chai Chee through its electronics design center.

The drive manufacturer had previously closed its other Singapore facility in Tuas, resulting in the departure of 750 employees.

This article is an abstract of news published on issue 143 on December 1999 from the former paper version of Computer Data Storage Newsletter.