North America Established in Greenwood, South Carolina, in 1988, Fuji Photo Film, Inc., began manufacturing PS plates the following year. During the subsequent decade, we expanded our manufacturing factory by installing production lines for VHS videotapes, one-time-use cameras, color photographic paper, and color film. The factory's construction and expansion have required the investment of more than $1.0 billion, and the factory's workforce has grown to approximately 1,200 people. This rapidly expanding factory is the Fujifilm Group's principal facility for manufacturing operations in North America. In 1996, we built one of the world's largest distribution centers. This facility has helped provide better-quality service to customers in North America and has contributed to the regional and national economies by annually exporting in excess of $100 million worth of products to more than 40 countries around the world via the port of Charleston, South Carolina. In recognition of this, South Carolina's Chamber of Commerce designated Fuji Photo Film, Inc., the winner of a special award for being the state's most praiseworthy manufacturing company in 1996. In spring 1999, Fujifilm established a U.S.-based facility for conducting research related to light-sensitive photographic materials to help the Company respond quickly to changing market needs. Another noteworthy Group company in the United States is FUJIFILM Microdisks U.S.A., Inc., which manufactures floppy disks and computer-use data storage tapes at its plant in Bedford, Massachusetts.