TheOsaka-based electronics group’s Sanyo Electric subsidiary will continue to makesilicon ingots at the Oregon plant, which opened in 2009. Last year, it closeda 30MW wafer plant in the Los Angeles area.
About25% of its employees at the Oregon factory will be affected by theproduction halt, which is designed to improve Panasonic’s ability to compete on costs,spokesperson Chieko Gyobu tells Recharge.
The plant in Malaysia, which opened in December,will employ about 1,500 people once wafer production is in full swing there.
