Entry for May 3,2007

Just a little catch up for some and and update for others. A few of my friends already got what Im going to post in their email box. Earlier this year, my dear hubby got notified at work that his company was going to close one of their older plants down and that about 500 people were going to be out of work in short order. The plant they chose to close is the one he's working in. The company was nice enough to give them plenty of notice and offer help finding a job if the staff stayed til their boot dates as well as a nice severance package for their trouble. Hubby's date is tentatively December 18th. It could be sooner but wont be any later than that point. It's bad enough he's being released that late because no one is really hiring at that time of year...they're usually cutting back. Then this week this showed up on his company's webpage. It is accessible by the public and Im including the link if you'd like to look. Someone pass me the KY. Close one plant just to open another IN ANOTHER DAMN COUNTRY!!!! Top things all off it doesnt look like the ones losing their jobs are going to be offered a friggin transfer.

http://www.ti.com/corp/docs/press/company/2007/c07025.shtml


NEWS RELEASESCOMPANY NEWS RELEASES• 2007 Releases• 2006 Releases• 2005 Releases• 2004 Releases• 2003 Releases• 2002 ReleasesNEWS RELEASES ANDPUBLICATION CATEGORIES• Show All• Semiconductor• Company• Education Technology• DLP® Products• TI-RFid™Texas Instruments to Expand Assembly / Test Operations in the PhilippinesBuilds on 28-Years of ExperienceMANILA, PHILIPPINES (May 3, 2007) – Texas Instruments announced today it will expand its assembly/test operations in the Philippines with a new site that aims to be the most environmentally efficient assembly/test site in the world. At 77,000 square meters in size, the site within the Clark Freeport Zone is expected to eventually employ about 3,000 workers and will double the capacity that TI has in the Philippines. The announcement was made at a ceremony with officials from the Philippines government and senior TI representatives.“This is an important site for TI because it will add capacity to support our growing business and serve our customers,” said Kevin Ritchie, senior vice president of TI’s technology and manufacturing group. “Once built, we expect to quickly ramp the site with the help of our experienced team in Baguio, where we’ve had assembly/test operations for almost three decades.” Construction is expected to start in the second half of 2007, with initial production in the second half of 2008.Bing Viera, managing director of TI Philippines added, “As we look toward our 30-year anniversary in the Philippines in 2009, we expect this new facility to be a flagship for the company in terms of quality and output. I thank our kind hosts from the government of the Philippines for working together with TI to make this expansion possible.”Speaking on behalf of the Philippines, President Gloria Arroyo welcomed the news that TI would grow its operations in the country.“Today TI is the leading exporter from the Philippines and this announcement demonstrates how successful the relationship has been with TI,” said President Arroyo. “I thank Bing and his management team for considering the Clark Freeport Zone and for making the decision to expand its facilities.”With an expected investment of $1 billion over ten years, the site will incorporate many of the environmental and energy design features that were first used by TI in the United States at its newest semiconductor facility. Reducing water, energy and waste will be given priority consideration from the start of building design and construction, and it will be the first ground-up facility to be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) registered in the Philippines. The LEED Green Building Rating System™ is a voluntary U.S. standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings that assigns a score based upon a variety of factors, including the construction materials used, water and energy efficiency, waste recycling and indoor environmental quality.TI first entered the Philippines in 1979 in Baguio City, today one of TI’s most sophisticated assembly/test sites. It conducts final assembly and testing of semiconductors for customers in the computer, aerospace, telecommunications, and automotive industries in the United States, Asia, and Europe. In addition to the contributions TI Philippines employees make to the company’s operations, they are a committed part of the local community, devoting money and volunteers to social organizations, cultural institutions and the educational infrastructure of the region.Assembly and test operations are the final step in semiconductor manufacturing before chips are shipped to customers. Starting with bare silicon chips called “die,” assembly/test sites perform precise packaging operations that serve as the interface between the integrated circuit and the system it supports. Final tests are run on highly sophisticated equipment to ensure the packaged product is operating across a full range of specifications and is ready for shipment.# # #About Texas Instruments:Texas Instruments Incorporated provides innovative DSP and analog technologies to meet our customers’ real world signal processing requirements. In addition to Semiconductor, the company includes the Education Technology business. TI is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and has manufacturing, design or sales operations in more than 25 countries.Texas Instruments is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TXN. More information is located on the World Wide Web at www.ti.com.TrademarksAll registered trademarks and other trademarks belong to their respective owners.