It has been 8 months since I last wrote. My sister reminded me; my close friends reminded me and even my dogs. Well, I currently I don't keep any more dogs but I missed my Dalmatians dearly. I remembered holding little Sam in the palm of my hands.... and that was like bloody 13yrs ago. How time flies and we don't even realize it; we see things passing us by like a germinating flower in a time lapse motion video speeding through life from a hopeful seed to withered compost. We are getting old amidst the humdrums of our daily routine and we don't even know it until something drastic happens and we start to question the reason for our very existence. This past 8 months or so has been just that, a rather trying & turbulent time for me and my fellow colleagues at Western Digital, Kuching. The plant was schedule to be closed down before the first quarter of the year is through. The employees were supposed to be laid off in stages and my number was supposed to be on 20th Feb. ---------------------------------------- Fellow colleagues & friends, I will part you with an abstract from President Barack Obama's inaugural address and this has touched me truely: "Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]." Do keep in touch. I am in Facebook. For those who have not joined, do try as it is great for keeping in touch with old friends. Hakuna Matata… J The retrenchment was then postponed as instead of closing down the plant, WD found a potential buyer who would take over the plant here in Kuching. So it was a rollercoaster ride and the reporters for the local newspapers were having a field day, well a lot of field days. And now the journey is nearly coming to a close, like a death in the night and the joy of a newborn baby cry....... so gratifying and yet remorseful. BTW it is not that we are slackers and have developed a healthy beer gut during the past 8 months but we have been religiously doing our Sunday Morning Rituals of hitting the asphalt on our bikes and I have lost 4kgs (Thanks Mom - she bought a new bathroom scale recently and we all had a go at it). It is just me; too mentally disturb to be finding the inspiration to write. Anyway, I leave you now with 2 press releases which u might have already read;
WD announced in December that it was taking actions to realign its cost structure to match a softer demand environment. This divestiture is one of those steps. The Sarawak facility, at which WD manufactured aluminum substrates for hard drive magnetic media, was acquired by WD as part of its acquisition of Komag, Inc. in September 2007. WD is consolidating substrate operations from the Sarawak facility into its other substrate facility in Johor, Malaysia. WD will continue to manufacture the majority of its magnetic media requirements at existing facilities in Malaysia and source the balance of its media needs through its strategic external partners.
"We are very pleased that, rather than closing this plant, which was surplus to our needs, we have identified a qualified buyer who will continue to operate the facility," said John Coyne, president and chief executive officer of WD. "WD worked closely with Hitachi GST, the government of Sarawak and its local agencies to create a solution that preserves operations at the Kuching location, as well as the jobs of the employees and those in supporting industries, which have a large impact on the local community."
About WD
WD, one of the storage industry's pioneers and long-time leaders, provides products and services for people and organizations that collect, manage and use digital information. The company produces reliable, high-performance hard drives and solid state storage that keep users' data accessible and secure from loss. WD applies its storage expertise to consumer products for external, portable and shared storage applications.
WD was founded in 1970. The company's storage products are marketed to leading systems manufacturers, selected resellers and retailers under the Western Digital and WD brand names. Visit the Investor section of the company's Web site (www.westerndigital.com) to access a variety of financial and investor information.
Hitachi GST to Acquire Substrate Manufacturing Facility from Western Digital
Wed 20 May, 2009
“This acquisition further strengthens Hitachi GST and is the next step in our business transformation,” said Steve Milligan, president, Hitachi GST. “The Sarawak facility is located in close proximity to existing Hitachi GST suppliers and drive assembly operations, which will enable us to realize increased operational efficiencies and other long-term benefits.”
“The Malaysian and Sarawak governments have been instrumental in Hitachi GST efforts to develop a local manufacturing presence. We thank them for their ongoing support and look forward to growing our employee base in Malaysia,” said Ian Sanders, vice president, Components Group, Hitachi GST. “Sarawak has a highly-skilled workforce with a worldwide reputation for manufacturing and technology excellence. Our goal is to have the Sarawak team play an important role in strengthening our product competitiveness by providing Hitachi GST with greater access to world-class components.”
Closing of the acquisition is subject to customary conditions.
About Hitachi Global Storage TechnologiesHitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) develops advanced hard disk drives, enterprise-class solid state drives, and innovative external storage solutions and services used to store, preserve and manage the world’s most valued data. Founded by the pioneers of hard drives, Hitachi GST provides high-value storage for a broad range of market segments, including Enterprise, Desktop, Mobile Computing, Consumer Electronics and Personal Storage. Hitachi GST was established in 2003 and is headquartered in San Jose, California. For more information, please visit the company’s website at http://www.hitachigst.com.
