Thai computer hard drive industry hit by floods

BANGAKOK, THAILAND: The computer hard disk drive (HDD) industry in Thailand is not likely to recover very early after floods inundated several manufacturing bases in the country where about one-fourth of the world's HDDs were made, a top manufacturer has said.

The worst floods in almost 70 years in Thailand shut down more than 14,000 factories and forced at least 660,000 people out of work.

John Coyne, chief executive officer of leading HDD maker Western Digital, said his company's production and of all its competitors have dropped significantly after floods inundated plants in Thailand and cut the supply chains, driving prices to a much higher level.

The company's plants in Ayutthaya province's Bang Pa-in industrial park and Pathun Thani province's Navanakorn industrial park were flooded in October, Xinhua reported.

The retail price of a one terabyte (1,000 gigabytes) HDD in Bangkok has rocketed from 2,000 Baht prior to the floods to around 6,000 Baht now (around $192).

He said he was not sure of the exact amount of losses and when production can resume, but that it will take at least several quarters for full recovery.