Epson Electronics, El Segundo, Calif., has a higher profile in the industry since its merger with S-MOS Systems Inc., Seiko Epson's semiconductor division, in late 1998. Since we're not in the same division with branded consumer products, it's created less confusion, Pangaro said. Being organizationally separated from other Seiko Epson businesses has allowed the company to more effectively upgrade and design its information technology for its own customers. We're able to make significant investments in our infrastructure, Pangaro said. They have the ability to access a corporate extranet and see product road maps and more detailed product data, plus some operational information.
New products are the heart of the business.
Epson Electronics is just releasing new SAW-based oscillators, the EG Series, for networking applications. It has a high frequency with low levels of clock jitter, and is designed for high-speed serial architectures, which want a low frequency in the hundreds of megahertz and then amplify that by 10 times, Pangaro said. We work with leading ASIC suppliers in networks to help define the requirements for clock jitter, he added. Epson also opened a new facility in 1999 that expanded capacity on high-end SAW filters, ceramic packaging, and VCXOs. But even more significant, Epson Electronics is planning to grow its own quartz crystals.