Sony to Realign its Manufacturing Operations in Japan

Sony Corporation is currently engaged in a series of group-wide initiatives designed to strengthen its corporate structure, bolster profitability and better enable it to adapt to the sudden and rapid changes in the global economic environment. Particularly within its electronics operations, the company is implementing extensive measures to better compete with its best in class peers in terms of speed to market and profitability, including the reevaluation of both its domestic and overseas manufacturing operations.

As part of this process, Sony announced that manufacturing operations in Japan for certain of its product categories will be consolidated in order to increase their efficiency. This includes consolidating its small and mid-size LCD Panel operations under Sony Mobile Display Corp; and the company's mobile phone-related manufacturing and customer service operations will be consolidated at Sony EMCS Corp Tokai TEC, Minokamo Site.

Meanwhile, the company announced the appointment of George Bailey from IBM to the newly created position of Senior Vice President, Corporate Executive and Chief Transformation Officer, effective June 1, 2009. In this role, Bailey will work with Sony Corporation senior management to help accelerate the company’s transformation into a premier and profitable provider of networked products, content and services. He will report to Sir Howard Stringer, Chairman, CEO and President, Sony Corporation, and the Transformation Executive Team, and will be based in Tokyo.

”We are fundamentally transforming Sony into a more innovative, integrated and agile global company,” said Stringer. "With his extensive experience as part of the team leading transformational change efforts for IBM and other progressive global companies, George will play a critical part in our transformation and will drive change to maximize efficiency and innovation and help ensure that the new corporate structure put in place in April 2009 is fully effective. His lengthy experience in the electronics sector will be invaluable to us as we work to implement our strategic direction with urgency and accountability.”

www.sony.net