Saturday, June 1, 2013: JUKI Corporation, Sony Corporation and Sony EMCS Corporation (a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony), announced a formal agreement today to integrate the SMT businesses of the three companies under JUKI Automation Systems Corporation, with an aim to strengthen the competitiveness of the SMT equipment and related businesses. The new company, which will be headquartered in Tokyo, will be made operational by JUKI on August 1, 2013, as a joint venture company. “With the completion of the transaction, JUKI will hold a capital contribution ratio of about 81 per cent in the joint venture company, while Sony EMCS will hold about 19 per cent,” informs a JUKI official.
The joint venture company will restructure the development, design and sales organisations. In addition, it will strengthen the business foundation and expand it by improving the development efficiency, expanding sales, enhancing the product portfolio, and strengthening solution sales that leverages collective technological knowhow. JUKI, Sony and Sony EMCS aim to complete the transaction by autumn 2013, subject to obtaining the necessary approvals and permissions of the authorities concerned.