|
UMC Becomes First
Semiconductor Manufacturer to Achieve
QC 080000 IECQ HSPM Qualification for All Fabs
Accomplishment
Signifies Foundry's Continuing Commitment to Environmentally-Friendly
Business Practices
HSINCHU, Taiwan, June 13, 2006 - UMC,
a leading global semiconductor foundry, today announced it has completed
the final system audit for QC 080000 IECQ Hazardous Substance Process
Management (HSPM) qualification to become the first semiconductor
manufacturer worldwide to achieve HSPM certification. QC 080000
IECQ HSPM is the standard that the International Electrotechnical
Commission (IEC) Quality Assessment System for Electronic Components
(IECQ) approved for Hazardous Substance Process Management in October
2005.
"Sustainable development and environmental
protection issues have become important indexes for conducting international
business," said Dr. Jackson Hu, chairman and CEO at UMC. "UMC
has been very successful in practicing environmentally-friendly
development and sustainable-resource utilization to achieve our
goal of operating as a green enterprise. We have integrated the
concept of sustainable development into our core business strategy,
so that two seemingly contradictory concepts, competitive business
operation and environmental protection, can be harmonized for the
benefit of society."
Corporations have taken extensive measures to
conform to the new RoHS (Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous
Substances in electrical and electronic equipment) Directive that
will become effective July 2006. The RoHS Directive will ban electronic
products that contain certain levels of six listed hazardous substances
from entering European markets. UMC has led the semiconductor industry
in sustainable, environmentally friendly development with its QC
080000 IECQ HSPM Qualification, which stringent requirements go
above and beyond the six listed materials in the RoHS guidelines
to include the restriction of over 20 different hazardous substances.
The completion of QC 080000 IECQ HSPM qualification
audit demonstrates UMC's capabilities in managing hazardous substances
and meeting RoHS Directives. This qualification assures UMC's continued
access to the European markets to help its customers expand their
market share. The QC 080000 IECQ HSPM standard is based on the ISO
9001:2000 quality management system, while also combining a "flow
orientation" measure and systematic management process. This
standard is the only green product quality management system that
has been widely used and approved around the world.
About UMC's Environmental Protection Efforts
UMC began promoting its green supply chain management in 2003 as
part of a larger international environmental protection trend. The
company implemented standard procedures for green procurement through
supplier controls and process and materials review. UMC also has
materials inspections performed regularly by independent organizations
to affirm strict compliance of the RoHS Directive. UMC became a
SONY Green Partner in 2003 and completed its renewal audit in 2005,
demonstrating positive customers recognition of UMC's efforts on
hazardous substances.
UMC's years of promoting environmental protection,
introducing sustainable development tools and participation in international
environmental protection activities have gradually come to fruition.
The World Bank Group gave official recognition to UMC's excellent
environmental protection performance during its 2002 Global Summit
of Sustainable Development. UMC also received the runner up award
for Environmental Excellence from the Asian Institute of Management
at their 2004 Asian CSR Awards. In 2006, UMC received the highest
rank in a Corporate Social Responsibility Survey conducted by CommonWealth
Magazine. These honors recognized UMC's efforts in promoting environmental
protection, sustainable development and social responsibility in
addition to pursuing business success and growth. Meanwhile, UMC
was awarded several government honors such as the National Sustainable
Development Award, Industrial Sustainable Excellence Award, Corporate
Environmental Protection Award, Green Office Award, Water Conservation
Award, Energy Saving Award, and others.
In the future, UMC will continue to improve itself
based on a Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) system to effectively control
hazardous substances through its implementation of QC 080000 IECQ
HSPM for aspect of the company's operations. UMC will transform
the RoHS regulation into a green business opportunity, and fulfill
the responsibility of a corporate citizen by contributing to the
benefit of the environment.
About UMC
UMC (NYSE: UMC, TSE: 2303) is a leading global semiconductor foundry
that manufactures advanced process ICs for applications spanning
every major sector of the semiconductor industry. UMC delivers cutting-edge
foundry technologies that enable sophisticated system-on-chip (SoC)
designs, including 90nm copper, 0.13um copper, and mixed signal/RFCMOS.
UMC is also a leader in 300mm manufacturing; Fab 12A in Taiwan and
Singapore-based UMCi are both in volume production for a variety
of customer products. UMC employs over 10,500 people worldwide and
has offices in Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Europe, and the United
States. UMC can be found on the web at http://www.umc.com.
Note From UMC Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
Some of the statements in the foregoing announcement are forward
looking within the meaning of the U.S. Federal Securities laws,
including statements about future outsourcing, wafer capacity, technologies,
business relationships and market conditions. Investors are cautioned
that actual events and results could differ materially from these
statements as a result of a variety of factors, including conditions
in the overall semiconductor market and economy; acceptance and
demand for products from UMC; and technological and development
risks.
Contacts:
|
UMC
|
|
In the USA
KJ Communications
Eileen Elam
(650) 917-1488
eileen@kjcompr.com
In Taiwan:
Alex Hinnawi
(886) 2-2700-6999 ext. 6958
|
|
|