3 December 1998: According to recent press reports, Japan“s Nippon Sheet Glass Co. plans to boost monthly production of glass magnetic disk substrates for hard disks from the current 2.2 million unit…
3 December 1998: According to recent press reports, Japan“s Nippon Sheet Glass Co. plans to boost monthly production of glass magnetic disk substrates for hard disks from the current 2.2 million units to three million units by early 1999. The sheet glassmaker plans to step up production of glass HD (hard disk) substrates at its plant in the Philippines, which was completed this spring and has monthly production capacity of one million units, to meet brisk personal computer demand, the officials said. Demand for substrates of HDs, a computer information storage medium, in the past few years has grown at an annual rate of some 10%. Total global demand for HD substrates came to around 25 billion yen in fiscal 1997, of which Nippon Sheet Glass held around 40%, following top maker Hoya Corp. The substrates used to be made of aluminum, but makers are increasingly shifting to glass substrates, which are more shock-and damage-resistant than aluminum ones. All 2.5-inch disks for notebook PCs are now made of glass. As some PC makers are moving to make 3.5-inch disks for desktop PCs out of glass as well, Nippon Sheet Glass will keep a close watch on the demand situation, the officials said. The company also plans to expand its plants in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, and the Philippines, they added. As a result, Nippon Sheet Glass aims to boost its total monthly production capacity of the substrates to four million units by the end of fiscal 1999, the officials said.