Kyoto, Japan—Horiba announced that it has centralized the coordination

of its promotion and marketing activities for its semiconductor instruments

and systems business at its headquarters in Kyoto, Japan. The company

plans to use this market, which utilizes products from the company’s

STEC, COS and Jobin Yvon businesses, to drive sales growth to reach ¥100

billion ($934.6 million = ¥107.0 = $1) in consolidated sales by fiscal year 2006.

For fiscal year 2005, Horiba projects a 5.1% increase in sales to ¥82.5 billion

($771.0 million). Currently, sales for the semiconductor business are ¥14 billion

($130.8 million). The coordinating department will also provide a single

contact point for customers. “In order to increase our sales volume, we need

to be able to offer integrated solutions under the Horiba brand name,” said Horiba President and CEO Atsushi Horiba.