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Industry News
June 28, 2012
Maxim Announces $200 Million Multiyear Investment to Upgrade its U.S. Manufacturing Facilities in Oregon, Texas and California
Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. announced a $200 million multiyear investment to upgrade its U.S. manufacturing facilities in Oregon, Texas and California. Maxim will use the multiyear investment to upgrade manufacturing equipment, improve process technologies, convert to newer technology nodes, and assimilate production from recently acquired companies. This investment is consistent with previously disclosed estimates for capital expenditures in Maxim’s fiscal years 2012 and 2013.
Maxim employs 9,300 employees worldwide, including approximately 1,000 manufacturing cleanroom workers in its four U.S. fabs. These facilities produce integrated circuits (ICs) for devices such as smartphones, tablet PCs, factory-automation equipment, automobiles, computers, medical equipment, smart grid equipment, and communications devices. Manufacturing staff will be added over time as expansions are completed and production ramps to capacity.
"Maxim has an extremely talented workforce doing technology development in Silicon Valley and cost-competitive manufacturing in our U.S. wafer fabs, where we make about 50 percent of our products," said Tunç Doluca, President and CEO of Maxim Integrated Products. "We are investing in our U.S. infrastructure to build intellectual property and enable a competitive edge."
The company will invest $75 million to upgrade its semiconductor fabrication facility (fab) in Beaverton, Oregon. Maxim, which purchased the 226,000 square foot facility from Tektronix, Inc. in 1994, will upgrade manufacturing equipment, improve process technologies, and convert to newer technology nodes.
Maxim employs approximately 540 manufacturing and engineering staff in the Beaverton facility, where it produces integrated circuits (ICs) for electronic devices such as factory automation equipment, GPS and navigation units for cars and planes, satellite systems, and communications devices. Manufacturing staff will be added over time as the expansion is completed and production ramps to capacity. Maxim also employs approximately 300 workers at its Hillsboro, Oregon site which is focused on engineering and administrative functions.
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With the aid of the Energy Trust of Oregon, Maxim’s Beaverton facility recently initiated an energy conservation program that has saved annually over 3.7 million kilowatt hours of electricity and reduced carbon dioxide emissions by over 1400 tons. The site is actively looking at additional energy-efficiency opportunities in solar-electric power, lighting automation, and boiler plant upgrades.
The company will invest approximately $65 million to expand its semiconductor fabrication facility (fab) in San Antonio. The company purchased the 380,000 square foot facility from Philips Semiconductors, Inc. in 2003, and will also be upgrading fab equipment.
"Right here in San Antonio, we make ICs that enable smartphones to have more vivid displays and clearer audio, and our ICs let portable devices last longer on a battery charge," said Chris Michael, Managing Director of Maxim’s San Antonio fab. "The quality of our employees and San Antonio’s business-friendly approach made it easy for Maxim to decide to grow its footprint in this community."
"To keep pace with the technological needs of electronics designs, ICs must continuously increase their complexities or the number of functions they perform. Factories become outdated if the precision instruments used in the fabrication process do not keep pace with the market," said Michaels. "This retooling and expansion initiative is a major investment and acknowledgment of our San Antonio employees’ commitment and productivity."
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