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Re: [TowerTalk] Motorola & Yaesu

To: Chuck <wcmoore@verizon.net>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Motorola & Yaesu
From: David Gilbert <xdavid@cis-broadband.com>
Date: Tue, 06 Nov 2007 09:57:20 -0700
List-post: <mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
I worked for Motorola Semi (discrete products) for almost 30 years, most 
of which was as a business manager.  The problem with semiconductor 
manufacturing is that it takes an incredible amount of capital 
expenditures for plant and equipment, especially if you need to keep 
updating or expanding the wafer fabs.  The profit percentage for the 
semiconductor operations was decent on average but was highly variable, 
and the return on capital was five to ten times worse than it was for 
Mot's other operations.  Even I thought they should chuck it.  I'm sure 
they bought Vertex for the design capabilities, and I'd bet the 
manufacturing requires rather little capital since much of it is 
probably outsourced to various contract manufacturers.

Whether Motorola keeps all of the Vertex stuff is, in my opinion, mostly 
a matter of whether they think there will be marketing or design 
synergies with their other operations.    Hard to say where the amateur 
stuff will stack up in that regard, but as far as I know Motorola stills 
sees fit to sell the Walkabout series of handhelds so maybe there is 
hope.  Offhand, I'd bet the UHF/VHF stuff has a better chance of 
surviving than the HF gear.

73,
Dave   AB7E


Chuck wrote:
> It will likely be the end of the Yaesu amateur line in my opinion unless it 
> is sold to another entity. If the semiconductor business did not yield a good 
> enough profit for Motorola then the amateur gear is history.
>
> Chuck
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