News Article
Edwards completes multi-million order in China
Edwards Group Limited, a manufacturer of sophisticated vacuum and abatement systems has completed deliveries against a series of multi-million dollar (USD) orders from BOE Technology Group Co., LTD., a major manufacturer of flat panel displays (FPD) in China.
The orders were put out to competitive tender earlier this year, and constitute hundreds of vacuum pumps delivered to three manufacturing sites. Edwards credited the order to its vacuum pumps' high performance and low maintenance attributes, resulting in low lifetime cost-of-ownership, particularly in harsh duty applications. The company's strong presence in Asia, with multiple local manufacturing and service facilities in the region, including a new factory being built in Qingdao, was also an important consideration for BOE.
"These orders are significant for us, not only because of the large dollar value, but also as confirmation of the strategic expansion of our Asian manufacturing and service capabilities where growth rates are highest, and most recently in China," said Jason Xu, Edwards' General Manager for China. "They also affirm the value of our long term investment in developing a broad range of advanced pump technologies. We have a unique depth of expertise in larger applications, which is reflected in our position as market leader in the flat panel display sector."
The orders included a range of types and sizes of Edwards' most advanced pumps, comprising: iXH dry pumps for harsh duty applications, iXL dry pumps for clean processes, and STP turbomolecular pumps.
"¢iXH harsh duty dry pumps are reliable pumps designed for difficult processes where particulate, condensable or corrosive by-products are present. These pumps are optimised for flat panel processes requiring high gas flows and flexible pump temperature profiles. They offer significant cost of ownership benefits due to their extended service intervals.
"¢iXL light duty dry pumps are compact, energy-efficient pumps designed for clean applications. They provide fast pump down of load lock chambers with low energy consumption and small footprint.
"¢STP magnetically levitated turbomolecular pumps provide high uptime through oil free pumping. The magnetic bearing system is used to suspend the rotor during operation, eliminating any risk of contamination while minimising vibration, noise and maintenance requirements.
