Sony Focuses on PS2 Manufacturing

In a move to ramp up the production of its PlayStation 2 consoles, Sony has announced that it will sell two plants to US electronics maker Selectron Corp. Sony plans to outsource production of such items as car audio and satellite navigation systems in order to focus production on its core business, such as the PS2. Under the agreement, Selectron will integrate the two factories into its worldwide manufacturing structure. All of the current employees at both plants will be offered the opportunity to remain at those facilities under the Selectron umbrella.

The PlayStation 2 will be released in North American on October 26. As you know, the company recently announced that it will ship a reduced number of PS2 units at launch due to manufacturing problems. Sony did not reveal specifics behind the manufacturing problems, but it did say that the shortage was not related to the console's DVD capacity.