Device Arena

Barcelona Technology Center in Spain to be sold to Ficosa International and COMSA EMTE

As part of its on-going initiative to enhance its manufacturing efficiency to improve the profitability of its liquid crystal display (“LCD”) TV business, Sony Corporation (“Sony”) today announced that its relevant European subsidiaries have agreed with Ficosa International, S.A. (“Ficosa”) and COMSA EMTE SL (“COMSA EMTE”), both headquartered in Spain, to sell the Barcelona technology center (formal name: Sony Espana S.A., Barcelona Technology Center [Barcelona, Spain]), which manufactures LCD TVs for the Europe region, to Ficosa and COMSA EMTE.

With this transaction, the Barcelona technology center will be divided into two new companies, one focusing on manufacturing and the other focusing on development and engineering. The manufacturing company will be wholly-owned and operated by Ficosa, while the development and engineering company will be a 50:50 joint venture between Ficosa and COMSA EMTE. Between them, the new companies intend to assume employment of the majority of employees at the Barcelona technology center.

Sony will source LCD TV production to the new manufacturing company for two years after completion of the transfer. Both the new manufacturing and engineering companies will concurrently develop new businesses.

The transfer is planned to be completed by the end of December 2010, subject to certain regulatory and other approvals.

Although a loss is expected to be incurred by Sony in connection with the transaction for the rest of the current fiscal year, no material impact is anticipated on Sony’s consolidated financial results forecast for the current fiscal year that was released at the time of the first quarter earnings announcement, as such loss has been included in the forecast as a part of the 75 billion yen of estimated restructuring charges.

Overview of Barcelona technology center (Sony Espana S.A., Barcelona Technology Center)
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Date established: January 1973
Number of employees: approximately 1,100 (as of August 31, 2010)
Site area: 206,000 m²
Representative: President, Sony Espana S.A.
Managing Director, Barcelona Technology Center Pedro Navarrete
Richard Davies
Key products: LCD TVs and related components

About Ficosa International, S.A.
Established in 1949, Ficosa International, S.A. is a multinational corporation devoted to the research, development, production and commercialization of systems and parts for automobiles. It is headquartered in Barcelona, Spain and employs 6,800 people. Ficosa is present in 19 countries around the world including Europe, North America, South America and Asia.

About COMSA EMTE SL
COMSA EMTE SL is the second-largest Spanish unlisted group in the infrastructure, services, engineering and systems sector. The group has a presence in 13 countries and employs 9,000 people.

sony.net

- During the matches, 4,800 people tested for HIV
- 26 games aired to 24,000 viewers
- Sony successful in experimental implementation of electricity, storage system based on natural energy sources

The project “Public Viewing in Africa” partnership between Sony Corporation, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) brought 26 World Cup matches to 24,000 people living in Cameroon and Ghana. The viewings launched an AIDS-awareness campaign aiming to bring health information to vulnerable communities in these countries, and contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The MDGs are eight internationally-agreed targets which aim to reduce poverty, hunger, maternal and child deaths, disease, inadequate shelter, gender inequality and environmental degradation by 2015.

Sony set up large screen visual equipment, including a 200 inch screen, projector, Blu-Ray disc player and waterproof speakers, and aired, for free, 26 live matches of 2010 FIFA World Cup™, at locations with limited access to television, while UNDP, JICA and local partners offered the viewers HIV and AIDS counseling and advocacy materials. Activities included drama performances, quizzes and song contests relating to HIV and AIDS prevention, as well as the free distribution of condoms. Despite the widespread popularity of football across Cameroon and Ghana, low household TV penetration, at approximately 20 percent, and the lack of electricity in certain regions prevents many communities from watching their teams on TV.

In Cameroon, UNDP mobilized approximately 5,350 people to five venues in four regions, while in Ghana, JICA brought together 18,650 people at 18 venues across 15 regions. In addition, 1,800 people in Cameroon and 3,000 people in Ghana took HIV tests. In both instances, more than double the number of people expected participated. During the screenings, “Join the Team!” footballs, made from environmentally conscious and durable material produced by Sony were also distributed. Furthermore, with the help of NGOs and international organizations such as JICA and UNDP, Sony will be donating 3,372 footballs, which were gathered by people around the world through Sony’s Earth F.C. project (www.sony.net/united/earthfc/ *Currently not accessible), to children in Africa.

As part of its efforts to harness sustainable energy sources, Sony also piloted in Ghana a combined solar power and lithium-ion storage battery system*, which provided enough electric power to screen more than two hours of football broadcasts for public viewing in the evening.

UNDP and JICA work with the private sector to accelerate progress towards the MDGs by 2015, by promoting inclusive growth, and sharing best practice on how businesses can be profitable while fighting poverty.

Under the theme “For the Next Generation”, the Sony Group is aiming to collaborate with external organizations to leverage the company’s strengths in meeting the needs of today’s society, while aiming to contribute to social sustainability and the development of the next generation. In recent years, Sony has also supported various activities in Africa with the aim of contributing to the MDGs.

sony.net

Sony Corporation together with FIFA and its Local Organising Committee (LOC) will today begin the distribution of Sony “BRAVIA” LCD TVs, Sony VAIO laptop computers and associated technical equipment to an extensive network of community development projects across South Africa.

As a part of FIFA’s Football For Hope initiative, more than 4,700 Sony “BRAVIA” LCD TVs, as well as some 350 Sony VAIO laptop computers, previously used to ensure the smooth running of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, will be donated to a variety of schools, clinics, community youth projects and social development initiatives.

As the largest single-sport event on earth, the FIFA World Cup™ requires substantial quantities of information technology equipment / products to operate successfully. A large proportion of this equipment for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ was provided by FIFA’s Partner Sony. As the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ draws to its climax, this product will now be redeployed as part of FIFA and Sony’s long-term commitment to provide disadvantaged communities with the means to enhance their media and communications skills.

“We feel, at the conclusion of this wonderful tournament, that it’s imperative that the equipment provided by Sony for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa will serve a social development initiative within the country,” explained Hidemi Tomita, General Manager, CSR Department, Sony Corporation. “The Football For Hope initiative has empowered organisations to touch lives through education and awareness in key areas of social development. As a corporation we are committed to support the sustainable development under our Corporate Social Responsibility key concept, ‘For the Next Generation.’”

The information technology equipment used by FIFA and the LOC at the FIFA World Cup™ is managed by the IT division of MATCH Services AG. They have kindly committed to ensuring all the hardware and software is comprehensively prepared prior to its redeployment.

The substantial storage requirements and ultimate distribution of the equipment, meanwhile, has been generously donated by the logistics service provider for this event, DB Schenker.
FIFA’s head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Federico Addiechi, underlined the significance of FIFA and the LOC’s decision to launch the initiative at the closing ceremony of the Football For Hope Festival.

He said: “It is highly significant that Sony and FIFA together with the LOC should begin this wonderful initiative here at The Football For Hope Festival. It continues to demonstrate that we are committed to using the platform of our flagship event in order to make a real and lasting difference to the less advantaged communities of South Africa. These are the people we are doing this for and these are the people that are making a real change around the world.”

sony.net

Sony today announced the development of an energy storage module using lithium-ion rechargeable batteries made with olivine-type lithium iron phosphate as the cathode material (hereafter referred to as ‘olivine-type lithium-ion iron phosphate cell’). Key features of olivine-type lithium iron phosphate cell include high power output, long-life performance and excellent thermal stability. Sample shipments of the new module are scheduled to begin from June, 2010.

The newly-developed module is an energy storage module with 1.2kWh-class capacity. Multiple modules can be connected either in series or in parallel to easily expand to a higher voltage or capacity. Furthermore, the new module is compatible with stationary power supplies such as UPS (uninterruptible power supply) for data servers or as a backup power supply for mobile phone wireless base stations.

[Background]
In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for lithium-ion rechargeable batteries, which boast superior energy efficiency, higher power density and excellent storage characteristics, as substitutes for batteries made from lead or nickel-cadmium. Until now, lead-acid and nickel-cadmium batteries have conventionally been used in the stationary power supply market for data server UPSs (uninterruptible power supplies) or as backup power supplies for mobile phone wireless base stations.
Additionally, new applications of lithium-ion rechargeable batteries – such as energy storage systems for efficient energy use and load-leveling – continue to be developed as the installation of new energy generating systems like household photovoltaic systems progresses as part of environmental measures to reduce CO2 emissions.

Sony will bring to market a safe, long-life performance energy storage module using olivine-type lithium iron phosphate cell, which are characterized by their high-power output, long-life performance and excellent thermal stability.

This energy storage module will be on display at the China International Battery Fair 2010 (held from June 24 to 26, 2010) in Shenzhen.

[ Main features of the energy storage module ]
1. ‘High expandability’ Multiple modules can easily be connected either in series or in parallel, enabling both the voltage and capacity to be customized to suit various applications
2. ‘High performance safety’ In addition to the use of olivine-type lithium iron phosphate cell, which boast excellent thermal stability and storage characteristics, the storage module also contains a built-in self-monitoring function to detect any abnormalities within the module itself
3. ‘Low environmental impact’ The long-lasting module can be used repeatedly whilst maintaining a reduced environmental impact

Details of main features of the energy storage module
‘High expandability’
1. Variables such as the voltage and capacity can be customized for different applications by connecting multiple modules either in series or in parallel. Each module is compatible with a high power output maximum of up to 2.5kW, and can be used for various stationary power supplies such as UPS (uninterruptible power supply) for data servers or as a backup power supply for mobile phone wireless base stations.

‘High performance safety’
2. Built-in self monitoring function for detecting any abnormalities within the energy storage module.
3. Internal battery usage can be controlled safely by monitoring the state (voltage, current, temperature) of the internal batteries and communicating this to a linked external battery management system.
4. Another feature derived from the excellent thermal stability provided by olivine-type lithium iron phosphate cell is that the batteries should resist irregular heat generation, even in the event of a battery abnormality occurring for any given reason.

‘Low environmental impact’
5. In comparison to lead-acid batteries, lithium-ion batteries have minimal energy loss when discharging the stored electrical energy. In other words, the charge and discharge of lithium-ion batteries is highly efficient, and demonstrative of the benefits of low energy consumption.
6. Longer-life performance (anticipated longevity of 10 years or more*) * Estimated useful life with one charge-discharge cycle per day.
7. Iron (lithium iron phosphate), which is said to be available in abundance, is used as the electrode material. This enables reduced environmental impact in comparison to lithium-ion rechargeable batteries that use rare metals with extremely limited reserves and that are in low supply.

‘Other features’
8. No regular maintenance required such as rehydration, which is needed for some lead batteries.
9. Compatible with 19-inch (2U) size for mounting on standard computer server racks.

Sample specifications of the energy storage module
Capacity: 1.2kWh
Nominal voltage: 51.2V
Maximum output: 2.5kW
Dimensions: 431 x 420 x 79mm (not including fixtures)
Weight: approx. 17kg

sony.net

Sony Corporation (NYSE:SNE) and Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) today announced an alliance to provide a range of new and rich entertainment experiences that combine Google’s open-source Android platform with Sony’s expertise in technology and product design. The two companies are exploring the joint development of compelling new Android-based hardware products for the home, mobile and personal product categories.

Through this alliance, Sony aims to leverage the stability, future growth potential and open-source accessibility of Google’s Android platform to further optimize its product development processes, while also providing consumers with an open, expansive and evolving user experience.

The alliance will enable Google to draw on Sony’s cutting-edge technologies, renowned engineering quality, groundbreaking design and diverse product and content portfolio to gain a comprehensive platform from which to drive the adoption of its Android OS across the CE industry.

“The combination of Sony’s industry-leading product design, engineering and development expertise with the flexibility and growth potential of Google’s innovative, open-source Android platform will provide consumers with a world of new and exciting Internet user experiences. Through this alliance, Sony will deliver new levels of connectivity and Internet integration across our range of assets and product categories,” said Howard Stringer, Chairman, President and CEO, Sony Corporation.

“We believe that open systems lead to more innovation, value and choice for consumers, which is why we are so proud to work with Sony to bring the power of the Android platform to more consumers around the world,” said Eric Schmidt, Chairman and CEO, Google Inc.

As the first step in this collaboration, Sony will introduce “Sony Internet TV,” the world’s first TV to incorporate the “Google TV” platform. Through an easy-to-use interface, consumers will be able to search and access content from their TVs and across the Internet – a rich Internet experience on consumer’s TVs. “Sony Internet TV” is scheduled to first launch in the U.S. the Fall of 2010 with the lineup featuring both a standalone TV model and set top box-type unit incorporating a Blu-ray Disc drive.

Going forward, Sony and Google aim to maximize their respective industry-leading technological expertise to deliver products and services that empower users with easy access to compelling content, whenever and wherever they require it. The two companies are also exploring extending the alliance in connection with Sony’s wide range of entertainment assets to establish new forms of cloud-based user experiences.

sony.net