Manufacturer plans $300M project in Pa. including new 96,500-square-foot facility
A semiconductor and electronics manufacturer is building a plant in Schuylkill County.
EMD Electronics held a groundbreaking ceremony at 357 Marian Ave. in Rush Township, Schuylkill County near Tamaqua with Gov. Josh Shapiro. The event was held at its existing site where the facility is being built.
Officials announced a $300 million investment in semiconductor specialty gases manufacturing that will create nearly 200 jobs including 68 permanent, union jobs. As part of its investment, EMD Electronics will build a new 96,500-square-foot facility.
Officials said the new facility will allow EMD Electronics to meet surging demand in the electronics and semiconductor industries by doubling the production capacity of tungsten hexafluoride and nitrogen trifluoride, which they say are critical components in semiconductor manufacturing.
EMD Electronics is the North American electronics business of Merck KGaA in Darmstadt, Germany. The company manufactures chemical-mechanical planarization slurries, ultra-thin dielectric and metal precursors of film, formulated cleans and etching products, and delivery equipment for the semiconductor and electronics display industries.
EMD Electronics received a funding proposal from the Department of Community and Economic Development that included $1,184,500 in potential grants. The company has committed to creating 68 new jobs including technicians and engineers and retaining 289 existing, full-time jobs at its Schuylkill County location within the next five years.
Those interested in applying for jobs at EMD Electronics can go to www.emdgroup.com/en/careers/job-search.html?
Approximately 120 jobs will be created to help with the construction of the new facility.
“We appreciate the efforts on the part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to recognize the value of our growth plans and work with us to make this expansion possible.” Jeff White, president of EMD Electronics, said in a news release.
The project was coordinated by the Governor’s Action Team, a group of economic development professionals who report directly to the governor and work with businesses that are considering locating or expanding in Pennsylvania.
This expansion is part of the company’s growth program, which aims to invest more than $ 3.5 billion in innovation and capacity expansion projects by 2025.
“Despite near-term cautions due to the industry’s cyclical nature, the demand for semiconductor materials remains very promising long term,” Kai Beckmann, member of the executive board of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and CEO Electronics, said in a news release. “Having domestic production capacity for critical electronics components has become a high priority for many economies. As the brains of modern electronics, semiconductors enable technology critical to economic growth and global competitiveness.”