To improve its ability to serve flat panel display (FPD) and thin film solar photovoltaic (PV) customers in Asia while capitalizing on Taiwan's location, talent pool and supply chain infrastructure, capital equipment giant Applied Materials announced this week that its newly expanded Tainan Manufacturing centre in Tainan, Taiwan is now open.
"The Tainan Manufacturing centre is one of our biggest investments in Asia and puts Taiwan at the centre of our display and solar equipment technology efforts. Applied has a 20-year history of success in Taiwan and with this expanded centre, we are setting a strong foundation for even greater success in the next 20 years. I would like to thank our customers, employees and the Taiwan government who helped make this state-of-the-art manufacturing facility possible," said Mike Splinter, chairman and CEO of Applied Materials in a statement.
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The facility, which measures almost 15,000 square meters, employs approximately 150 people and is expected to build and ship approximately 100 new plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) and physical vapour deposition (PVD) systems this year, which is a 400% increase in shipments from last year, the company pointed out.
Further, the company believes the location of the facility combined with its existing supply chain infrastructure in Asia will allow it to meet the demands of its large base of display and solar customers in Asia more quickly.
Applied Materials currently employs more than 800 employees in 10 offices in Taiwan, and has donated R&D systems for thin film solar energy research to some of Taiwan's leading universities and supports education efforts through its Applied Young Talent program.
By Ann Steffora Mutschler, Contributing Editor - Electronic News