The name Plessey has made a return to the British electronics scene some two decades after GEC and Siemens broke up the group.
XFab, which bought the Plessey fab in Roborough, near Plymouth, with existing key engineering competence within a design and technology centre located in Swindon, have been combined and have started trading under the name Plessey Semiconductors.
Plessey was once one of the biggest names in the British electronics industry with a history dating back to 1917, but in 1989 the group was broken up following the acquisition by GEC and Siemens.
The semiconductor operation was purchased by Canadian firm Mitel in 1998 and the Plymouth factory later acquired by XFab.
The semiconductor manufacturing facility in Roborough currently produces 20cm wafers for external customers in a foundry business model on 0.35µm cmos process technologies. Plessey Semiconductors is transferring its bipolar process technologies on both silicon and silicon-on-insulator substrates into its Roborough facility. The transfer of these processes is scheduled for completion in 2010.
Both the cmos and the bipolar process technologies will be used to support a set of existing foundry customers. However, Plessey Semiconductors aims to follow in its namesake’s footsteps by developing and supporting a range of analogue and mixed-signal semiconductor products.
“The historical significance of what we are doing is not lost on the management and employees of our new business,” said Michael LeGoff, managing director of Plessey Semiconductors. “A large proportion of our employees started their careers in Plessey working in the various sites around the UK. We see this announcement as a return to our roots. This is a business model that addresses a market that we know very well – designing and manufacturing a set of high technology semiconductor products that competes with any semiconductor company in the world.”
Paul James, commercial director of Plessey Semiconductors, added: “We are very excited about the re-launch of the Plessey Semiconductors’ brand and our new business strategy.”
The UK’s South West Regional Development Agency will part-fund the project by providing nearly £1m under the Grant for Business Investment scheme.