BILLERICA, Mass.--()--After a worldwide search for a premier location, Entegris (NASDAQ: ENTG), a Billerica-based supplier to the semiconductor and microelectronics industries, announced today its plans to create the Entegris i2M Center for Advanced Materials Science ("i2M Center") in Bedford, Massachusetts.
The i2M Center will be one of New England’s leading R&D and manufacturing centers for filtration media, electrostatic clamps (E-Chucks) and proprietary advanced, low-temperature coatings. These technologies are needed to develop critical components used in the world’s most demanding and stringent semiconductor manufacturing environments. Entegris’ products, which control nano-level contamination so small it is measured in widths of atoms, enable the production of advanced semiconductor devices and other electronics used in computers, smartphones, TVs and cars.
“As next-generation devices -- which are at the heart of tomorrow’s computers, tablets, and mobile phones -- become smaller, more powerful, and consume less energy, the technologies used to make these devices are pushing the boundaries of physics,” said Gideon Argov, president and chief executive officer of Entegris. “To support the manufacturing of these devices, the Entegris i2M Center will focus on solving the most difficult purification, process control, and material protection challenges, something only a handful of companies in the world can do.”
Entegris recently purchased land and an existing 80,000 square foot building at 9 Crosby Drive in Bedford, Massachusetts to house the i2M Center. It expects to invest approximately $45 to $50 million in building infrastructure upgrades and equipment over the next two years. Entegris, which reported a record $749 million in sales in fiscal 2011, expects the first phase of the Center to be operational in early 2013.
The i2M Center will consolidate certain existing Entegris operations in Massachusetts and house approximately 100 professional and skilled employees who will transfer from those sites. The company also plans to add 10 new engineering and development positions specializing in membrane science and E-Chucks. Entegris currently employs approximately 350 employees in Massachusetts, and approximately 2,700 employees worldwide.
“i2M denotes ‘ideas to market.’ This facility will be our flagship innovation center for developing break-through materials science technologies to support our global customers, many of which are in Asia. Given our long history in the region, local employee talent, and the concentration of materials science and engineering experts in New England, there is no better location than right here in Massachusetts for our i2M Center,” said Bertrand Loy, chief operating officer of Entegris.
"We are excited that Entegris chose Massachusetts as home for its innovative new center," said Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. "Companies like Entegris know that the Commonwealth is second to none in innovation, technology and life sciences, and projects like this help Massachusetts win the future."
[Editor’s Note: Photo of Gideon Argov and Governor Deval Patrick is available]
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ABOUT ENTEGRIS (NASDAQ: ENTG) www.entegris.com
For more than 40 years, Entegris has provided a wide range of products for purifying, protecting and transporting critical materials used in processing and manufacturing for the semiconductor, microelectronics, energy, life sciences and other high-tech industries. These products and materials are often used to make the building blocks of many of the world's most complex microelectronic products, such as computers, mobile devices and phones, data storage components, televisions and monitors, and automobiles. Entegris is ISO 9001 certified and has 33 manufacturing, customer service or research facilities in the United States, China, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. Follow us on Twitter (@Entegris) and YouTube.
