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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): September 27, 1999
WESTERN DIGITAL CORPORATION
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(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
Delaware 001-08703 95-264-7125
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(State or Other Jurisdiction (Commission (IRS Employer
of Incorporation) File Number) Identification No.)
8105 Irvine Center Drive
Irvine, California 92618
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(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (949) 932-5000
Not Applicable
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(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)
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INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED IN THE REPORT
ITEM 5. OTHER EVENTS.
On September 27, 1999, Western Digital Corporation issued a press
release announcing a limited voluntary recall concerning one desktop hard drive
series.
A copy of this press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1.
ITEM 7. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, PRO FORMA FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND EXHIBITS.
Exhibit Description
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99.1 Press Release dated September 27, 1999, regarding Western Digital
Corporation's announcement of a limited voluntary recall concerning
one desktop hard drive series.
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf
by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
Date: September 27, 1999 WESTERN DIGITAL CORPORATION
By: /s/ Michael A. Cornelius
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Michael A. Cornelius
Vice President, Law and
Administration and Secretary
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EXHIBIT 99.1
Press Release
Western Digital Implements Limited Recall To Rapidly Address Possible
Reliability Issue For One Desktop Hard Drive Series
MOUNTS AGGRESSIVE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM IN ADVANCE TO ADDRESS POTENTIAL
CUSTOMER ISSUES
IRVINE, CA. - September 27, 1999 - Western Digital Corporation (NYSE:WDC) has
advised OEM customers, resellers and retailers that some units of a new series
of desktop hard disk drives may contain a faulty chip. Western Digital is moving
immediately to identify and recall the affected hard drives in this series. The
Company said it has received no customer indications of problems with the hard
drives, and that it was taking this action as a preventive measure.
The affected units are in Western Digital's WD Caviar 6.8GB per platter desktop
hard drive series, with capacities ranging from 6.4 to 20.5 GB. None of the
Company's other WD Caviar drives, nor its WD Expert, WD Enterprise, and WD
Performer hard drives, are affected. Today's announcement also is unrelated to
component availability problems cited in the company's September 21 announcement
of earnings expectations for the current fiscal quarter.
A reliability issue with the 6.8 per platter desktop series was confirmed over
the weekend during WD's long-term, predictive testing of the drives. According
to co-chief operating officer Matt Massengill, a chip supplied to Western
Digital from a supplier's fabrication site could cause the hard drives to fail
to power-up after six to 12 months of full-time use.
Matt Massengill said, "Proper operation of these drives will continue well
beyond the time required to provide for the orderly exchange of units containing
possible faulty chips. For the limited number of these drives in PC systems,
there should be no loss of data for customers who follow the rapid-response
mechanisms we have put in place. Western Digital is taking a conservative course
by recalling the affected lot of this product, in line with our reputation for
customer service and our brand's promise to protect users' data. We will be able
to identify every drive that could be affected, by utilizing the Company's
recently-installed, state-of-the-art Quality Information System."
Massengill said Western Digital's replacement of the chips in the drives will be
relatively simple, as the rework involves only the circuit card assembly. The
sealed head disk assembly is not affected.
The chips shipped to Western Digital affected WD Caviar 6.8 GB per platter
desktop hard drives the company manufactured between August 27, 1999 and
September 24, 1999, which totaled approximately 1 million units. The Company is
recalling the approximately 400,000 units from that lot which have been sold.
Any end users who believe they may have received a WD Caviar 6.8 GB per platter
hard drive are advised to visit the Western Digital web site at
www.westerndigital.com. This web site contains a software utility that can be
downloaded to identify any affected products quickly and accurately. If an end
user has a product that is at risk, an advance replacement will be delivered
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along with software to transfer all data to it. Users also may obtain support by
telephone from Western Digital's technical support staff at 1-800-357-1374, or
in Europe at 31 20 446-7651.
Western Digital Corporation is a leading manufacturer of hard drives used for
information storage in desktop computers, servers, workstations and home
entertainment electronic products. Through its Connex subsidiary, the company
serves users of network-attached storage systems and enterprise-wide storage
area networks. Western Digital was founded in 1970 and has long been noted for
its storage and end-market systems-level design knowledge. The company's
products are marketed to leading systems manufacturers and selected resellers
under the Western Digital brand name. Its home page can be found at
http://www.westerndigital.com.
This release contains forward-looking statements, including statements relating
to details of the component problem discussed in the release and its effect on
the drives, the expected length of operation of the affected drives,
identification of the affected drives, and the replacement procedures for the
drives. The forward looking statements are based on current management
expectations, and actual results may differ materially as a result of several
factors, including: the results of ongoing reliability testing, final results of
the identification of units affected, the final return procedures. and other
factors discussed in our recent SEC filings. We undertake no obligation to
update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring
after the date of such statements.
Contact:
Investor/Analyst:
Robert J. Blair
Western Digital Corporation
212.867.4490
[email protected]
Press:
Brenda J. Bennett
Western Digital Corporation
425.869.6467
[email protected]
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