23) The Name is "Theatre Toshiba"
Transistor factory of Toshiba
Toshiba Corporation, a rival company of Hitachi Ltd. started
the transistor production in "Shita-machi" low-lying old town area
of eastern Tokyo. Hideo Inuzuka who later became Deputy General Manager of
Toshiba Central Research Laboratory, and his group had proceeded growth of
germanium single crystals and fabrication of devices at Sunamachi Factory
in Fukagawa. The facility was originally converted from a sugar plant, and
far from suitable one for a semiconductor operation. However, they set up
a cleanroom of top grade in those days by managing with scanty budget.
In December 1956, Toshiba started mass production of germanium diodes at Yokosuka
plant. In May 1958, a transistor factory, later called Tamagawa Factory was
completed at Komukai in Kawasaki City and achieved production capability of
1.2 million units per month.
The new factory was designed as a window-less structure to hold efficient
air conditioning, and it was called "Theatre Toshiba" by an analogy
of the name of a famous movie theater in central Tokyo. When female workers,
so-called "Transistor Girls" came out from the gate of the factory
at closing time, it looked as if they poured out from a movie theater exit
after the show.
The photo shows the exterior of Toshiba transistor factory in 1959.
(Photo: by courtesy of Toshiba Corporation)