Edwards, the leading supplier of vacuum and abatement products, services and solutions for the global semiconductor industry, is to strengthen its presence in the U.S. with a new manufacturing facility in Western New York.
Edwards WNY STAMP
The new site, dedicated to state-of-the-art dry pump manufacturing, will be in the Western New York Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park, (WNY STAMP) in Genesee County, New York.
The recent increase in demand for semiconductors has seen governments all around the globe recognise the strategic importance of the industry, with large investments being committed to ensure a stable and resilient semiconductor infrastructure. Over the last year, many of Edwards’ major customers have announced investment plans in the US, and Edwards’ commitment with this new facility represents a significant move to support its US customers further and ensure the supply chain capacity is in place to accommodate this growth.
Phase one will be a $127 million project to construct a high-tech manufacturing facility of approximately 240,000 sq. ft. (22,000 m2). In total, over the next seven years, the project is expected to amount to $319 million and create around 600 skills-based jobs within the community. This new building will provide modern facilities for employees, use advanced data technology as part of Edwards’ ‘factory of the future’ strategy, state-of-the-art manufacturing and measurement equipment, a fully temperature-controlled machine shop, as well as a flexible manufacturing system to deliver the quality, operational excellence and productivity levels needed to support our customers’ demands in a rapidly changing market.
Edwards will construct and operate the new facility to align with the LEED green building certification system, reducing its environmental impact. The new building will be powered using 100% renewable energy sources, and water consumption will be mitigated by solutions and controls. In addition, Edwards will deploy programmes which address the impacts of activities such as employee commuting. Alongside these initiatives which support commitment to Science Based Targets, this location will enable a significant reduction in carbon emissions arising from international freight by localising manufacturing in the US. Edwards also has a distribution centre situated close by, in Sanborn NY as well as a sales and applications facility in Albany NY.
“Genesee County and STAMP are honoured to be the home of such a highly regarded and respected global company in the semiconductor supply chain industry,” said Genesee County Economic Development Center President and CEO, Steve Hyde. “We look forward to using all our resources to ensure that Edwards’ ‘factory of the future’ that will be constructed at STAMP is second to none. This is a historic day for Genesee County, our region, and our state.”
Kate Wilson, President of Edwards’ Semiconductor business, said: “I am delighted that we are announcing this new facility in the state of New York. Against a backdrop of growing demand, clearly showing a greater need for investment in manufacturing capabilities that are located close to our customers, we continue to commit significant investment in our operational footprint. This is critical to ensure we retain our position as the vacuum and abatement partner of choice to the global semiconductor industry.”
