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Intel to Expand Manufacturing Plant in Colorado Springs

Posted on: Monday, 19 September 2005, 03:00 CDT

After a $400 million expansion to its manufacturing plant in 2004, Intel is investing another $190 million this year to upgrade the upgrade.

Last year Intel added an 80,000 square-foot module, or clean room, inside its Fab 23 facility for the purpose of manufacturing products for Intel's communications group. With this latest upgrade to the second clean room (construction to begin immediately), Intel will be able to conduct backend processing of the company's microprocessors, which are produced on 300-mm wafers before they are tested and packaged.

Bringing in the 300 millimeter wafers to the Fab is significant in this industry, said Judy Cara, spokesperson for Intel. It is a continuation of what we announced last year. We've gone over and above - last year with an additional investment that we're happy to have in the Springs.

Upon completion of the project, scheduled for the second half of 2007, Fab 23 will house about 160,000 square feet of clean room space. According to a news release, the expansion will create jobs for a few hundred positions by 2008, adding to the 900 employees currently working at Intel.

It's all good news, said Kara Roberts, vice president of business expansion and retention for the Greater Colorado Springs Economic Development Corp.

Obviously any kind of growth and infrastructure investment is a positive sign, Roberts said. It demonstrates that the work force is here and there is a commitment to growth in Colorado Springs.

That commitment also is a sign of a recovering technology sector, Roberts said.

We are starting to see a recovery, she said. Everyone has referred to it (technology growth) with cautious optimism, but now we are starting to see a little more aggressive growth in that sector.

With growth comes industry leadership, said Morgan Burke, Intel's Fab 23 plant manager.

Our investments in manufacturing help Intel maintain industry leadership and drive innovation, Burke said. This investment positions our site for future growth to support our platform initiatives.

Intel's growth in Colorado includes the purchase of office property in Fort Collins to accommodate an Intel design team. The team previously leased space at the HP campus.

Nationally, Intel is expanding its Fab 17 facility, which produces the same products as the Springs operation, in Hudson, Mass.

Intel's commitment to Colorado is a signal of the company's commitment to the Pikes Peak region, said Bob Baker, the senior vice president and general manager of Intel's technology and manufacturing group.

The investments in our sites in Colorado and Massachusetts reflect strategic importance of these facilities and our outstanding team of employees, he said.

(Copyright 2005 Dolan Media Newswires)

Source: Colorado Springs Business Journal, The

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