SOUTH PORTLAND — A three-year slump in the chip industry has come to an end, and analysts’ projections of double-digit growth is good news for two Maine companies.
Fairchild Semiconductor and National Semiconductor are already seeing an improvement in demand for their chips.
At Fairchild, two of the plant’s three production areas are at full capacity because of strong demand, and the third production area is expected to be at full capacity this winter.
At National, plant production has increased from 30 percent capacity to about 50 percent capacity since the end of August. National officials expect production to continue to grow.
Fairchild, which is based in Maine, has expanded its South Portland work force by 128 employees, or 11 percent, in the past six months in part because of the increased demand for chips.
“We’ve now entered into a healthy recovery stage,” said Fran Harrison, spokeswoman for Fairchild Semiconductor. “It’s more than healthy; it’s robust.”
National Semiconductor has about 600 employees in South Portland and anticipates hiring more if the production continues to increase, said Alan Bernheimer, acting vice president of corporate marketing and communications.
Even with production going up, National still intends to sell a majority interest in its South Portland plant.
The company announced in May it would sell part or all of the plant by the end of this month. It has since backed off the deadline and says it is in no rush to sell.
Comments
comments for this post are closed