Ichor European Head Office Opened by Scottish Minister
A new 36,600 square feet European Head Office for Ichor Systems at Hamilton International Park, Blantyre, was opened Wednesday 14th January 2015 by Fergus Ewing, the Scottish Government Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism.
Ichor Systems, a business headquartered in Oregon, USA, acquired East Kilbride-based Semiconductor company, Semi Scenic, in April 2012. Its European operation which employs 85 people, 36 of them in Scotland, will now be managed from Blantyre.
Don Nicolson, managing director, said: "with this move from East Kilbride to Blantyre we have increased our production capacity by a factor of five and have set ourselves up for substantial further growth."
Last year the company secured a global product licence from industry giant Lam Research, enabling it to sell specific Single Chamber Etch (SCE) licensed legacy products directly to wafer manufacturers throughout the world. This has in turn bolstered Ichor's operations in Scotland.
Mr. Ewing said: "Don Nicolson and his team at Ichor Systems are to be congratulated on the know-how, vision and sheer hard work which has made the company a highly-successful player in the global Semiconductor market.
"By delivering real value-added products and services to its customers throughout the world and exploiting further growth opportunities, Ichor Systems Ltd. is a great example of what Scotland's businesses are capable of achieving."
The company has spent £0.5 million on refurbishing and enhancing the Blantyre plant which it holds on a ten year lease.
Mr Nicolson said: "I would like to thank the Government for making available £175,000 in Regional Selective Assistance towards the costs of refurbishment.
"I would also like to thank Alan Simpson & his team at TSquared for delivering the high specification cleanroom facility ahead of schedule."