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Politics : Formerly About Applied Materials -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Proud_Infidel who wrote (36537)	8/10/2000 11:50:36 AM
From: Proud_Infidel	Respond to of 70976

Singapore's STATS expands plant for growth in IC test, assembly volumes Semiconductor Business News (08/10/00, 11:33:29 AM EDT) SINGAPORE--ST Assembly Test Services Ltd. today announced the completion of a $5 million expansion of its chip-packing and testing facility here, increasing the plant's cleanroom space by 80,000 square feet for final assembly of high-end digital and mixed-signal ICs. The expansion will accommodate up to 200 more IC testers and other gear, according to STATS, which says the plant is now one-third larger at 300,000 square feet. "We're in a state of readiness to quickly ramp up in response to business demand -- whether for test, packaging, or full turnkey services," declared J.C. Lee, chief operating officer of STATS. "With the completion of facilitization works, equipment can be progressively installed in a relatively short time in step with customers' orders." The contract assembly and testing house said it has begun installing additional production equipment to support higher unit volumes from customers in the second half of 2000. Earlier, STATS said its revenues were impacted by a shortage of processed wafers, but the volume of silicon substrates ready for final packaging and testing have increased since June (see July 21 story). Conceerns about backend assembly demand and the possibility that the chip industry is overbuilding capacity hit the stock markets last week when Kulicke & Soffa Industries Inc announced delays in tool order (see Aug. 3 story). But since last Thursday, a number of chip companies and backend assembly houses have re-emphasized their positive outlooks for the second half of 2000. Singapore-based STATS said it now has 209 testers and 460 wire bonders for final assembly of ICs. The company said it has expanded its capabilities in advanced packaging technologies and added high-frequency testers for wireless communications during the year.