Western Digital: Thailand flooding to impact HDD production

As unrelenting floods across Thailand threaten the country's capital this week, hard disk drive maker Western Digital has confirmed its manufacturing plants near Bangkok will post lower-than-projected figures for the third quarter after production was halted. The company cited devastation to workers' homes and supplier facilities as factors behind the expected losses. However, it believes its Thai workforce of 37,000 residents are safe.

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The exact impact the floods will have on production remains unclear. What is clear is that those plants are big producers.

Western Digital said approximately 32.4 million HDDs were shipped from plants in Thailand during the second quarter. In comparison, factories in Malaysia shipped 21.6 million in that same time frame. Considering the company's Thai operations rely heavily on local parts providers, it's safe to assume the drop-off won't be negligible.

Western Digital acquired rival company Hitachi GST in March and now holds an estimated 50 percent of the global HDD market.

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According to The Wall Street Journal, Western Digital is not the only manufacturer to see its work stymied by the floods. Canon and Nikon factories were waterlogged this week. Microsemi, a semiconductor manufacturer, has also suspended production.

Further details and status updates will be provided during a conference call on October 19, said Western Digital.

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