Osram Opens Second LED Chip Production Plant in Penang
Two years after breaking ground in July 2007, OSRAM Opto Semiconductors has completed the construction and process-testing phases for the world's most modern LED chip production plant, located in Penang, Malaysia. Regular production of LED chips has now commenced at the plant. The facility in Penang makes OSRAM Opto Semiconductors the first LED manufacturer with high-volume chip production facilities in both Europe and Asia. The new plant complements OSRAM’s main facility in Regensburg, Germany, which was expanded in 2008. This continual growth enables the company to flexibly respond to demand for top quality LEDs at competitive prices in the LED market, which has begun to pick up steeply again.
OSRAM has invested of tens of millions of Euros in the 35,000-m² (377,000 sq. ft.) cutting-edge manufacturing plant for LED chips – the devices that are poised to become the core components in the lighting systems of the future. Now that the construction has been completed and the manufacturing processes established for the 4-inch-wafer-based indium gallium nitride (InGaN) semiconductor chips, routine production is now underway. These chips form the basis for the blue, green and white LEDs used primarily in architectural and general lighting, for display backlighting, and in mobile terminal devices. OSRAM Opto Semiconductors employs approximately 2,600 of its total worldwide workforce of 4,400 at the Malaysian facility.
Dr. Rüdiger Müller, CEO of OSRAM Opto Semiconductors stated: "There is no question that the rise of the LED, which has only just begun, is set to sky-rocket in the coming years. This is why we are pursuing our investment and expansion course consistently and uncompromisingly, even in this difficult economic environment. With our production facilities in Germany and Malaysia, we are now in an ideal market position in terms of quantity and quality. Regensburg and now Penang, too, have become the most important global centers of LED technology."
About Osram Opto Semiconductors:
OSRAM is part of the Industry sector of Siemens and one of the two leading lighting manufacturers in the world. Its subsidiary, OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH in Regensburg (Germany), offers its customers solutions based on semiconductor technology for lighting, sensor and visualization applications. OSRAM Opto Semiconductors has production sites in Regensburg (Germany) and Penang (Malaysia). Its headquarters for North America is in Sunnyvale, CA (USA), and for Asia in Hong Kong. OSRAM Opto Semiconductors also has sales offices throughout the world. In the 2008 fiscal year (to the end of September) OSRAM Opto Semiconductors employed more than 4600 people and achieved sales totaling 529 million euros. For more information go to www.osram-os.com.
