Kyocera announces merger of North American communications equipment units

SAN DIEGO, USA: Kyocera International Inc., the North American headquarters of the Kyocera Group, announced the merger of its two wholly owned subsidiaries serving the wireless communications equipment market, in the final phase of a previously announced business integration.

The merger will combine San Diego-based Kyocera Wireless Corp. and Kyocera Communications Inc. effective April 1, 2010. The merged enterprise will continue under the name Kyocera Communications Inc., and will remain a wholly owned subsidiary of KII.

Eiichi Toriyama will continue in his current responsibilities as KCI President. Rodney Lanthorne, the current president of both KWC and KII, will become vice chairman of KII’s board of directors, also effective April 1. Lanthorne, based in San Diego, will also remain as a director and member of the executive committee of Kyocera Corporation, the global parent company.

KCI was formed in 2009 following Kyocera’s acquisition of the wireless handset business of Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd, in 2008. The subsidiary will continue its responsibilities in the Americas for the sales, marketing and service of wireless handsets produced by Kyocera Corporation.

Additionally, KCI now will provide engineering and operations support services to Kyocera Corp.'s Communications Equipment division, which has assumed global responsibility for the company’s engineering and manufacturing in this segment.

“The transfer of responsibility for wireless engineering and operations to Kyocera Corporation’s Communications Equipment division on April 1 streamlines this segment in line with our global integration strategy,” Lanthorne stated. “It follows last year’s integration of the sales, marketing and service functions of Kyocera Wireless with those of the former Sanyo handset operations into Kyocera Communications Inc., to unify our presence and value to customers in the Americas.”