US LED equipment maker Veeco Instruments Inc yesterday launched its Taiwan Technology Center at the Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學園區) to tap the rapidly growing LED market.
The Hsinchu center, which is expected to hire 40 employees after an investment of US$8 million, is the latest move by Veeco to expand its presence in Asia, chief executive officer John Peeler said in an e-mailed statement.
The US company announced late last year that it planned to invest more than US$30 million to expand its Asian operations, including new research and development and process support sites in Shanghai, which were opened in May, and in Seoul, which will be established next year, Peeler said.
“We selected Hsinchu as the location for our new Taiwan Technology Center because of its strong history of LED industry leadership and the large number of local LED manufacturers,” Peeler said in the statement. “This center provides excellent access to some of the world’s best technology and engineering talent, and is strategically located for convenient access by other Asian customers.”
Veeco is a major supplier of metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) equipment used to make LEDs. It also makes equipment to develop and manufacture solar panels, hard disk drives and other devices.
The technology center is equipped to conduct process demonstrations, arrange rapid start programs, provide early access to evaluate system upgrades and to support joint technology development programs.
Epistar Corp (晶元光電) president M.J. Jou (周銘俊) said in a separate statement yesterday that Veeco’s new technology center would help the company to achieve its future expansion plans.
Epistar, the nation’s largest LED chipmaker, is one of Veeco’s key customers in the Greater China region.
“Our goal is to be the preferred supplier, with the best products on the market, as well as having a local presence to expedite our customers’ time-to-market,” Justin Wang (王克揚), Veeco’s general manager in charge of the Greater China region, said in the statement.
Over the past three years, firms in Taiwan, China and South Korea have purchased MOCVD equipment to meet rising demand, Wang said.
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