▁faster ▁time ▁to ▁market . ▁As ▁the ▁CE O , ▁Luc zo ▁decided ▁to ▁increase ▁invest ment ▁in ▁technology ▁and ▁to ▁divers ify ▁into ▁faster - g row ing , ▁higher - margin ▁business es . ▁He ▁decided ▁to ▁implement ▁a ▁highly ▁autom ated ▁platform ▁strategy ▁for ▁manufact uring . ▁Between ▁ 1 9 9 7 ▁and ▁ 2 0 0 4 , ▁Se ag ate ▁reduced ▁its ▁head count ▁from ▁approximately ▁ 1 1 1 , 0 0 0 ▁to ▁approximately ▁ 5 0 , 0 0 0 , ▁rational ized ▁its ▁factory ▁foot print ▁from ▁ 2 4 ▁fact ories ▁to ▁ 1 1 ▁fact ories ▁and ▁reduced ▁design ▁cent ers ▁form ▁seven ▁to ▁three . ▁During ▁this ▁period , ▁Se ag ate ' s ▁output ▁increased ▁from ▁approximately ▁ 9 ▁million ▁drives ▁per ▁quarter ▁to ▁approximately ▁ 2 0 ▁million ▁drives ▁per ▁quarter . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 9 8 , ▁the ▁company ' s ▁Se ag ate ▁Research ▁facility ▁was ▁also ▁established ▁in ▁Pitts burgh , ▁a ▁$ 3 0 ▁million ▁invest ment ▁that ▁focused ▁on ▁future ▁techn ologies ▁and ▁pro tot ypes . ▁Technology ▁developed ▁by ▁the ▁center ▁would ▁include ▁devices ▁like ▁the ▁hard ▁drive ▁disk ▁for ▁Microsoft ' s ▁first ▁X box . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 9 9 , ▁Se ag ate ▁sh ipped ▁its ▁ 2 5 0 ▁million th ▁hard ▁drive . ▁ ▁In ▁May ▁ 1 9 9 9 , ▁Se ag ate ▁sold ▁its ▁Network ▁& ▁Storage ▁Management ▁Group ▁(