Chipmaker wants to bring production back to semiconductor factory.
BY JACOB PALMER | DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
Chipmaker wants to bring production back to a Eugene semiconductor factory that was once the site of 1,400 workers.
Avago Technologies, a Singapore-based company, bought the facility for $21 million.
“The Eugene site is an attractive option for expansion,” Avago vice president Stan Strathman said in a written statement. “The Hynix facility is well suited to our manufacturing needs, while the Eugene location provides access to a strong labor base and an established infrastructure supporting high-tech manufacturing.”
The company said it plans to make components for mobile phones in the 1.2-million-square-foot factory, which has been vacant since Hynix shut it down, eliminating 1,400 jobs amid a historic downturn in the memory chip market.
Avago said it plans to hire engineers, technicians and factory operators, along with administrative and management jobs. The company gave no indication just how many people it will employ, but Mayor Kitty Piercy said she’s hearing Avago plans to start with 250 to 300 employees once production gets under way.
(SOURCE: OregonLive.com)
The facility had been vacant since 2008.
“We are looking forward to becoming part of the Eugene community,” Strathman said.
Avago is in the midst of a monster $37 billion deal to purchase San Diego-based Broadcom and create a $77 billion company with a diverse set of communications platforms for the semiconductor industry. Shareholders from both companies have approved the deal.
(SOURCE: Portland Business Journal)
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