Intel CEO: Production problems unacceptable

Craig Barrett, chief executive of intel, has called on employees to focus on 'actions and attitudes' to put an end to a serie of product delays and manufacturing problems that have caused problems for Intel.

An open letter was sent to the company's 80,000 employees. Barrett said that there was no excuse for the recent problems, and that he had spoken bluntly and directly with senior managers about the need to improve performance.

"In the end reasons don't matter because the result is less-satisfied customers and a less-successful Intel," Barrett wrote in his letter, dated July 21.

"Therefore," he wrote, "it is critical that everyone -- beginning with senior management but extending to all of you -- focus intensely on actions and attitudes that will continue Intel's strong track record of technology leadership" and customer satisfaction.

Intel, based in Santa Clara, California, is the world's most powerful chip maker, providing the key chips for most personal computers. It also supplies chips for cellular phones and networking equipment.

When Intel misses its production targets, the entire electronics supply chain can feel the repercussions. Yet Intel officials have been accused of lacking humility when the company errs.

"I have never seen an Intel executive embarrassed in my life," said Richard Doherty, the director of the Envisioneering Group, a market research firm. "You can marvel at that."

Source: Reuters