Japanese Sony has issued a press release in which it announced the purchase of Toshiba division , which specializes in the production of image sensors. The acquisition price is approximately 154 million US dollars. The purchase will be completed by the end of the current financial year (to March 2016).
Under the deal, Sony will receive factory Toshiba Oita Operations in Oita (Japan) area of 48 800 sqm with all the equipment and about 1100 workers. The company will operate as a part of a subsidiary of Sony Semiconductor Corporation, which specializes in manufacturing photosensors. Note that this factory also produces memory controllers.
Through this acquisition, Sony will strengthen its market position photosensors. Last year, Sony's share in the supply of image sensors was approximately 40%, while the share of Toshiba accounted for only 1.9%. This transaction is part of Toshiba's sale of non-core and unprofitable assets in order to overcome financial difficulties.