OKI Electric Technology (Kunshan) Co., Ltd. (OKN), a subsidiary of OKI Electric Industry (TOKYO:6703) that develops and manufactures keyboards, today announced it has reached the landmark figure of 20 million keyboard shipments. The company will establish a production framework to manufacture 7 million units per year by 2010 and is focused on maintaining its number one market share position worldwide for mobile notebook PC keyboards. OKN now plans to accelerate the development of high value added products to the worldwide market.

OKN began manufacturing keyboards in China in 2004 and has expanded its business steadily since then. Unit shipments in 2004 were approximately 2 million, a figure, which rose to 4 million by 2008. In December 2008, the company doubled its available floor space in order to double production capacity and drive further technological development.

OKI's keyboards have a world-class light-weight and slim style (the world's top B5 size notebook PC weighs 43g and has a thickness of 3.2mm). At the same time, the OKI products have the intrinsic functionality of the best keyboards, where there is a certain feel/touch that ‘remains' on the user's fingers after the keys are pressed. Such features are highly prized by customers globally and OKN secured the largest share (approximately 50%) of the market for keyboards for mobile notebook PCs in 2008.

In recent years, OKN has also focused, in particular, on delivering high added value and has been developing keyboards with backlighting, with characters that glow in the dark, as well as special robust keyboards which are damage-proof even when used under difficult conditions. Its keyboards with backlighting use energy-efficient LEDs for backlight. Historically, these products have mainly been used in specialist fields such as the medical equipment sector. However, due to the growing need for notebook PCs, the market for these devices is expected to grow still further in the future.

"Achieving shipments of 20 million keyboards represents a significant milestone for OKN. We would like to indicate our thanks to our worldwide customers, Chinese partners and to our employees for making this happen," says Sadao Tachibana, Chairman, OKN. "Going forward, we plan to offer the world's best product to satisfy our customers' needs throughout the whole world."

OKN plans to expand its keyboard business as the mobile notebook PC market grows. With plans to recruit an additional 50 workers to the facility by 2010, the company will drive forward with manufacturing and development activities so as to be in a position to offer a broad range of different types of keyboards to the worldwide market.

[Note]

*1: Mobile notebook PC

Below 1.6Kg, thickness of the system, under 30mm

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About Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.

Founded in 1881, Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. is Japan's first telecommunications manufacturer, with its headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. OKI provides top-quality products, technologies and solutions to its customers through its info-telecom system business and printer business. All businesses function as a collective force to create exciting new products and technologies that satisfy a spectrum of customer needs in various markets. Visit OKI's global web site at http://www.oki.com/.