UMC Group
would like to report the following news regarding our earthquake
recovery status:
As of today,
UMC Group has returned to 100% pre-earthquake production levels
in all of our facilities in Hsinchu. Furthermore, our power supply
needs are being fully met and we foresee no further interruption
of production.
There is no change in our earlier estimates for revenue losses
resulting from interruption of production at UMC Group.
In addition to the NT$300 million (US$ 9.5 million) pledge from
UMC Group, our employees continue to make individual donations
towards disaster relief. Employees in our USA office have also
donated about US$20,000 dollars to Taiwanese charitable institutes,
and UMC Group (USA) has committed to match all employee donations
with equal contributions.
Finally, we would like to thank our equipment and material suppliers
for their tremendous support and responsiveness during this crisis.
Without their efforts, it would have been difficult for us to
return to full production in such a short time frame. We would
also like to thank all UMC Group customers and shareholders for
their patience and understanding over the last ten days.
ANNOUNCEMENT
UPDATE - 12:00pm 9/28 (Taiwan time)
UMC Group
continues its efforts to return to full production. We have also
completed a more thorough estimate of the damage caused to UMC
Group's operations. We would like to announce the following:
Based on a
more complete estimation of losses, business interruption revenue
loss for UMC Group's publicly listed companies UMC and UTEK will
be 25% of revenues in September and 12.5% of revenues in October.
Therefore, total revenue loss at UMC attributable to the earthquake
is NT$1 billion (US$ 31.3 million), while the figure is NT$270
million (US$ 8.4 million) for UTEK.
Total profit loss resulting from loss in revenues at UMC is estimated
at NT$ 400 million (US$ 12.5 million). Total profit loss for UTEK
is estimated at about NT$ 60 million (US$ 1.9 million).
UMC Group has insurance coverage for damages caused by the earthquake,
as well as for interruption of business operations. Therefore,
the actual financial loss for UMC and UTEK will be significantly
less than the above numbers.
Based on our current estimates, less than 10% of the total wafers
in production at UMC Group fabs at the time of the earthquake
will have to be scrapped.
ANNOUNCEMENT
UPDATE - 1:00pm 9/27 (Taiwan time)
UMC Group
has completed its initial appraisal of the damages caused by the
Sept. 21 earthquake that struck Taiwan. Generally speaking, we
can report that the damages were significantly less severe than
originally estimated. We would like to announce the following:
Power at UMC
Group has been restored, and 90% of the machinery in UMC Group's
fabs has already returned to production. We expect to return to
full capacity production in the coming days, in response to extremely
strong demand from our international customer base.
Based on our initial investigation, all of the fab installations
and equipment are in good condition. However, there was some damage
caused to certain materials required for the operation of some
production equipment. NT$300 million has been allocated for the
replacement of these materials, including the procurement of quartz
furnace tubes. Most of these materials have already been installed
in the appropriate equipment and are being used in production
now.
As a result of the power loss associated with the earthquake,
the overall monthly revenues for UMC Group will drop by approximately
25% for the month of September, or approximately NT$1.37 billion.
However, since UMC Group has insurance coverage for natural disasters
and the interruption of business operations, the actual financial
loss will be below the above figure.
UMC Group would also like to thank the government and general
public for their support and consideration. We thank everyone
for helping us to keep our losses to the bare minimum, allowing
us to quickly return to production
The
Sunnyvale, California office of UMC Group has received many inquiries
from customers, business associates, and other concerned citizens
on how to assist earthquake victims in Taiwan. We are recommending
that donations be made to:
The Taiwan
Earthquake Relief Fund (or TERF)
c/o Bank of Canton
555 Montgomery Street
San Francisco, CA 94111
Please make
checks payable to Taiwan Earthquake Relief Fund and note that
the account number is 01-701-266. Also, for reference, the tax
exemption number is 77-0522942. All donations by USA employees
of UMC Group will be matched 100% by UMC Group.
ANNOUNCEMENT
UPDATE - 2:30pm 9/23 (Taiwan time)
At the time
of this announcement, the Hsinchu Science Park is still without
power. However, UMC Group has already begun its inspection and
recovery activities wherever possible. We expect that this will
shorten the time needed to return to normal production. At present,
we would like to report the following developments:
Taiwan Power
Company estimates that 70% of UMC Group's power requirements in
the Science Park will be restored by this afternoon (9/23 Taiwan
time). This will allow us to begin the inspection process and
make any necessary adjustments to our production equipment, accelerating
the return to production.
UMC Group is already in the process of procuring miscellaneous
components, such as quartz furnace tubes, necessary to replace
those damaged in the earthquake.
According to our estimates, after Taiwan Power Company has begun
supplying power, it will require three days to complete our inspection
and maintenance operations before returning to normal production.
Finally, UMC Group would like to express its support for the families
and individuals caught up in this terrible disaster. UMC Group
has made a donation of 300 million New Taiwan Dollars to be used
to aid the victims of the tragedy. Hopefully, it can help alleviate
their pain and grief, and return their lives to normal as soon
as possible.
From
9/24 through 9/26, it is a public holiday in Taiwan. Therefore,
our next fab status update will be on Monday, Sept. 27th. Thank
you for your understanding.
ANNOUNCEMENT
9/22 (Taiwan time)
Initial
Inspection Shows No Apparent Damage To Fabs After Earthquake
First of all,
we are thankful to report that the earthquake in Taiwan caused
no injuries to UMC Group employees. Also, based on initial inspections,
there is no apparent damage to the fab buildings or machinery,
except for some glass (e.g., quartz furnace tubes) breakage, and
a few ceiling tiles. All process gas, water, air handling, and
power lines appear to be fully intact. Our back-up power systems
operated as intended in response to the disruption, allowing the
clean room to maintain the required level of air purity. Due to
the maintenance of the appropriate temperature and humidity within
the clean room, the majority of wafers within the fab were unaffected.
However, it is possible that some of the wafers that were in the
production line during the power failure may have to be scrapped.
It will only be possible to make an accurate assessment of the
situation when the power supply has been fully restored. Please
visit the UMC Group website (www.umcgroup.com) for the latest
update on fab conditions.
At present,
the government of the Republic of China has decided that restoring
electricity to the general public is the first priority. Therefore,
at this time, it is not exactly clear when electrical power will
be restored to our facilities and normal production can resume.
We also foresee that it will require a period of time for a full
equipment inspection after Taiwan Power Company has resumed power
supply to the facilities. Currently, we estimate that it will
require three to five days after power restoration to return to
full production. Thank you for your concern.