NuFlare Technology, a wholly owned subsidiary of Toshiba Machine Corp., is the world's leading supplier of electron beam lithography equipment, used in the high-technology sectors, specifically in the semiconductor sectors in the US, Europe and Asia.

The firm, headquartered in Numazu, Japan, will utilize its new laboratory space at the Fishkill Corporate Park to provide technical support for its US customers and to develop technical solutions for its electron beam system, according to NuFlare Technology US general manager Rodney Kendall. The facility currently employs 10 workers. The company expects to employ 20 workers there in the next few years. The floor plan of the firm's new offices is divided into 3,000 sf for office use and 3,000 sf for dedicated laboratory space.

Dutchess County officials noted that in late 2002, partly because of the availability of commercial electron beam systems from companies such as NuFlare, IBM decided to shut down its internal electron beam development group. Officials with the Dutchess County Economic Development Corp. state that there were fears that jobs and businesses associated with the technology would leave the Hudson Valley region.

Commenting on its selection of Dutchess County for its research facility, Dr. Tadahiro Takigawa, director and general manager of NuFlare, says, "One of the reasons the Hudson Valley region was chosen as the location for the new R&D lab was the availability of highly trained people with experience in electron beam lithography." He adds that the firm has also developed a "close relationship" with the staff at the Nano Technology facility at the State University at Albany.

Dutchess County Executive William R. Steinhaus comments on the deal by saying, "This is further testimony that Dutchess County enjoys a fertile business environment and continues to grow jobs and diversify our employee base even during challenging economic times. Young new technology firms provide the quality jobs that are the core of our local economy and I welcome NuFlare Technology to our community."