FormFactor opens new facility in Singapore

LIVERMORE, CALIF:FormFactor, Inc. announced official plans to expand its wafer probe card manufacturing operations with the construction of an approximately 300,000 square-foot facility in the Tampines district of Singapore. In addition to increasing its manufacturing capacity, FormFactor will leverage the new site to bolster its customer service and support infrastructure in Asia, which currently includes regional service and sales locations in Taiwan, Korea and Japan.

To support the expansion, FormFactor expects to employ approximately 1000 people over a multi-year ramp of the facility. The facility is expected to ramp production in early 2009. "This new facility further strengthens our commitment to becoming more local to our customers in Asia," said FormFactor CEO, Igor Khandros. "When fully operational, we expect to accelerate product development cycles and further shorten product delivery times and turnaround times for service."

The Singapore location was chosen due to its highly skilled workforce, a favorable environment for intellectual property (IP) protection and beneficial operating costs. "Singapore offers a business-friendly environment and a gateway to all of our customers in Asia. We consider this expansion an important next step in better serving the needs of all of our customers," added Khandros.

The Singapore expansion, including facility construction, hiring and equipment outfitting, is projected to represent a US$200 million investment by FormFactor