Kyocera Subsidiary Agrees to Buy Land in Tijuana for Plant

Kyocera International Inc., the San Diego-based U.S. subsidiary of Japanese high-technology conglomerate Kyocera Corp., has signed an agreement to buy 26 acres of vacant land in Tijuana for future development of a maquiladora, or twin plant. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.

Although KII, the world’s largest manufacturer of ceramic semiconductor packages, has yet to complete its development plans, the parcel is large enough to accommodate at least 550,000 square feet of building space, according to Carlos Bustamante, chairman of Mex Hong S.A., developer of the Tijuana International Industrial Park near the Tijuana International Airport.

KII Vice President William Everitt said his company may not be the only Kyocera subsidiary to set up an assembly plant on the property. One or more of Kyocera’s many consumer electronics operations, including Yashica cameras, may also set up plants there, he said.

KII employs 2,300 in the United States, about 1,600 of whom are based in San Diego. Kyocera Corp. has 16,000 employees worldwide and last year posted revenues of $1.9 billion. KII accounts for about one-third of the parent company’s total revenues, Everitt said.