Ibiden's success has been a big blow to Kyocera, but the contest is just beginning.

FORBES: It's all in the packaging

Kyocera and Johnson Matthey are hot on Ibiden's tail with a technology-sharing pact, as are others.

FORBES: It's all in the packaging

To stay alive, Ibiden created its own demand, turning out fertilizer, carbon and ferrosilicon.

FORBES: It's all in the packaging

Kyocera and Johnson Matthey are hot on Ibiden's tail with a technology-sharing pact, as are other companies.

FORBES: It's all in the packaging

With fluorescent lights dangling overhead and furnishings reminiscent of the 1950s, Ibiden Co.

FORBES: It's all in the packaging

Founded in 1912 near the Ibi River, Ibiden started out generating hydroelectric power.

FORBES: It's all in the packaging

Ibiden's pin-grid packages plug into circuit boards via dozens of tiny prongs.

FORBES: It's all in the packaging

"To survive, we realized we had to focus on narrow areas where we could distinguish ourselves with unique technologies, " says Ibiden President Masaru Endoh.

FORBES: It's all in the packaging

Enter Ibiden, which decided to try to make plastic packages affordable.

FORBES: It's all in the packaging

To assemble these little critters, Ibiden has developed its own plastic resins and a new process for building up layers of plastic that contain intricate patterns of copper wiring (see diagram).

FORBES: It's all in the packaging

Ibiden began mass- producing plastic microprocessor packages in 1996.

FORBES: It's all in the packaging

Ibiden began mass producing plastic microprocessor packages in 1996.

FORBES: It's all in the packaging