Industry News
Intel Announces Investment in Rio Rancho, New Mexico Site
Representatives of Intel Corporation announced that it will invest $1 billion to $1.5 billion in its Rio Rancho site to retool Fab 11X for production on Intel's next generation 45 nanometer (nm) manufacturing process. Fab 11X will be the company's fourth factory scheduled to use the 45nm process, with production in New Mexico scheduled to start in the second half of next year.
Marking one of the biggest advancements in fundamental transistor design in 40 years, Intel's 45nm high-k and metal gate process consists of an innovative combination of new transistor materials that drastically reduces transistor leakage and increases performance. When 45nm production begins later this year, the company will use a new material with a higher-k (dielectric constant), and a new combination of metal materials for the transistor gate electrode. Extending its lead over the rest of the semiconductor industry, early versions of Intel's next generation 45nm family of products - codenamed Penryn - are already running multiple operating systems and applications, and the company remains on track to begin 45nm production in the second half of this year.
Initial production of Intel's 45nm products will be done at its Oregon development fab, D1D. The company is currently building two other factories that will use the 45nm process. The $3 billion Fab 32 in Chandler, Ariz., will commence production late this year; and the $3.5 billion Fab 28 in Kiryat Gat, Israel, will begin production the first half of next year.
Fab 11X currently manufactures 90nm computer chips on 300mm wafers. Fab 11X began production in October 2002 and was Intel's first 300mm, or 12 inch, high-volume manufacturing facility. It was also Intel's first fully automated, high volume factory producing 300mm wafers.
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Lockheed Martin Receives $95M Contract for Norway Aircraft Service
Lockheed Martin has entered into a contract with the Government of Norway to build new production service life extension kits for six Royal Norwegian Air Force P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft. This Lockheed Martin Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) will add more than 15,000 flying hours to each aircraft, representing 20 to 25 additional years of service for this critical maritime patrol and reconnaissance resource.
The contract, which includes the life extension kit, engineering support, and other components, is valued at approximately $95 million. The life extension kit provides a low-risk, cost-effective solution by replacing all fatigue life limiting structure on the aircraft with enhanced design components and new, improved corrosion resistant materials.
Lockheed Martin has installed the required production tooling to build P-3 Service Life Extension outer wings at its Marietta, Ga., plant. The Norwegian life extension kit includes the outer wings, the center wing lower surface, horizontal stabilizer, horizontal stabilizer leading edges, and nacelle components. These kits will incorporate design enhancements and new materials with increased corrosion resistance, essentially refreshing the fatigue critical components on the aircraft. This provides operators with another aircraft service life with significantly reduced maintenance costs, reduced down time, and increased aircraft availability. It also removes operational restrictions currently imposed on the global Orion fleet due to aging problems. Production of the Norwegian kits is scheduled to begin immediately.
More than 350 P-3s are in service with 19 international and domestic operators.
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Boeing Board Elects Medtronic Chairman and CEO Collins as New Member
The Boeing Company's board of directors has elected Arthur D. Collins Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Medtronic, Inc., as a new member of the board, effective immediately. He has been appointed to the board's audit and finance committees.
Collins has been CEO of Medtronic since April 2001 and chairman since April 2002. In August he will pass the CEO role to a successor and remain as a director and chairman of the board. He joined the company in 1992 as president, Medtronic International with responsibility for all Medtronic operations outside the United States. Collins came to Medtronic after 14 years with Abbott Laboratories where he was corporate vice president with responsibility for Abbott's worldwide diagnostic business units, and held a number of management positions in the United States and Europe.
Before joining Abbott, Collins was a consultant with Booz, Allen & Hamilton in Chicago, working for clients in the areas of business strategy development, marketing, organization planning, financial analysis and financial systems design.
Prior to his business career, Collins served as a U.S. naval officer, completing Officers Candidate School as a Distinguished Naval Graduate.
Collins holds a Bachelor of Science degree and an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a member of the undergraduate faculty.
The election of Collins brings the Boeing board to 11 members.
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Fujitsu Announces Executive Appointment
Following a meeting of its board of directors on Feb. 27, representatives of Fujitsu Limited announced that Richard Christou, executive chairman of UK-based Fujitsu Services, will also become corporate senior vice president of Fujitsu Limited and head of Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) operations for the Fujitsu Group, effective March 1. It is planned that Mr. Christou will concurrently serve as chairman and chief executive of UK-based Fujitsu EMEA PLC, a new company to be established in April and located at the London offices of Fujitsu Services.
In his capacity as corporate senior vice president, Christou will join in meetings of the Fujitsu Limited Management Council, an executive body that deliberates upon fundamental policies and strategy regarding business management of the Fujitsu Group, as well as makes decisions on important matters regarding operational execution. As head of EMEA operations, Christou will be charged with overall responsibility for Fujitsu Group information and communications technology services and products businesses in the region. Fujitsu's total consolidated net sales for the EMEA region in the fiscal year ended March 2006 were about 4.4 billion euro (US$5.8 billion), and Fujitsu Siemens Computers had sales of about 6 billion euro (US$7.9 billion). Placing emphasis on enhancing group-wide synergy and cultivating close relationships and business partnerships with customers across the region, Christou will strive to further expand Fujitsu's already substantial EMEA business.
Christou, who has a law degree from Trinity College Cambridge and is a qualified solicitor, joined Fujitsu Services' predecessor company, ICL, in 1990 after serving as director, commercial and legal affairs for ITT's UK telecommunications operation STC, which had previously been majority owner of ICL. In 2000 he was appointed CEO of ICL, managing its subsequent re-branding to Fujitsu Services in 2002 and its growth into one of the leading IT services companies in the EMEA region. He was named executive chairman of Fujitsu Services in April 2004.
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Raytheon Awarded $18 Million Contract to Provide Patriot Support to Kuwait
Raytheon Company received an $18 million operation and maintenance support contract from the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command to provide Kuwait with Patriot system technical assistance.
Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) will provide support to Kuwaiti operational and maintenance personnel operating the Kuwait Patriot systems at fire unit locations and also at the depot in Kuwait. This program is a four- year follow-on Foreign Military Sale award to continue providing technical assistance to the Kuwait Air Defense Forces. Raytheon has been providing Patriot support in Kuwait since 1996, ensuring reliable performance for this critical capability.
This effort will be performed in Kuwait by Raytheon Southeast Asia Systems Company headquartered at Raytheon's Integrated Air Defense Center, Andover, Mass.
