History (1998): IBM MR Head Plant in China

IBM has invested $680 million in OEM MR heads, mainly in San Jose, CA, Mainz, Germany, and China.

And since the company began selling these heads, 18 months ago, it has shipped 10 million, 9 million just in the last 6 months.

The most recent announced investment, for $20 million, will permit the construction of a 46,200 square feet facility in China, specifically in the Futian Free Trade Zone, near Shenzhen.

The plant, which will employ about 200 people at the end of the year, will be operated by a fully-owned subsidiary, Shenzhen IBM Technology Products Co. Ltd.

A year ago, IBM formed a joint venture in China with Kaifa and Great Wall to manufacture HGAs.

This article is an abstract of news published on issue 122 on March 1998 from the former paper version of Computer Data Storage Newsletter.