Hitachi GST Hosts Official Opening of New Substrate Manufacturing Facility in Malaysia

SARAWAK, Malaysia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) today announced the official opening of a new substrate manufacturing facility located in Sarawak, Malaysia. Hitachi GST acquired the facility in July and has been increasing the production of aluminum substrates used to manufacture its desktop-class hard drives. The company hosted an opening ceremony in Sarawak today with guests of honor that included The Right Honorable, Chief Minister of Sarawak, Pehin Sri Dr. Haji Abdul Taib Bin Mahmud, The Honorable, Deputy Chief Minister of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr. George Chan Hong Nam, The Honorable, Deputy Chief Minister of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr. Alfred Jabu anak Numpang and The Honorable Sarawak Cabinet Ministers.

“A primary goal of the Sarawak acquisition was to strengthen vertical integration for purposes of enhancing product time-to-market and customer satisfaction. We are making steady progress in this regard and have been expanding our Sarawak employee population to keep pace with strong customer demand.”

Hitachi GST Sarawak will play an important role in enhancing product competitiveness by providing greater access to world-class components. Sarawak is located in close proximity to existing Hitachi GST suppliers and drive assembly operations, which will increase operational efficiency and provide other long-term benefits. The Sarawak facility is expected to produce the majority of the company’s aluminum substrate requirements.

“We are proud to officially commemorate the opening of our newest manufacturing site and welcome the Sarawak team to Hitachi GST,” said Steve Milligan, president, Hitachi GST. “A primary goal of the Sarawak acquisition was to strengthen vertical integration for purposes of enhancing product time-to-market and customer satisfaction. We are making steady progress in this regard and have been expanding our Sarawak employee population to keep pace with strong customer demand.”

“Sarawak continues to be a center of excellence for high-tech manufacturing and we are pleased to support Hitachi GST, one of the world’s leading hard drive suppliers, in their efforts to build a presence in the region,” said The Right Honorable, Chief Minister of Sarawak, Pehin Sri Dr. Haji Abdul Taib Bin Mahmud. “The partnership with Hitachi will strengthen global awareness of Sarawak as a compelling location for manufacturing and other operations requiring a skilled and technical workforce.”

Approximately 500 guests attended the opening ceremony held at the Sarawak facility, which is located in the Sama Jaya Free Industrial Zone in Kuching.

About Hitachi Global Storage Technologies

Hitachi 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 with its headquarters located in San Jose, California. For more information, please visit the company’s website at http://www.hitachigst.com.

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT / TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 400,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2008 (ended March 31, 2009) consolidated revenues totaled 10,000 billion yen ($102.0 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials, logistics and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com.

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