Motorola to Open $30-Mil. Semiconductor Facility in Scotland

Andy McDonald, North American director for Locate in Scotland, says the deal will create up to 550 jobs in Scotland by 2005. He comments, “This announcement is a clear signal to the microelectronics industry that Scotland is the place to be in this technology, which is at the cutting edge of almost every form of leading information technology.”

The $30-million facility, which will form part of the Alba Campus in Livingston, Scotland, will focus on “embedded software” and “system on chip” (SOC) technology, according to Motorola officials. SOC technology increases the number and range of functions for a product such as a mobile phone by integrating its major components onto a single silicon chip.

Motorola, which has had operations in Scotland for more than 30 years, will house some operations in temporary space at the Alba Campus until its 50,000-sf facility is completed in early 2002. An additional 50,000 sf of space will be added by 2004.

Motorola’s systems design operations manager, Michael Kay, says that one important reason for locating the facility in Livingston was the number of educational facilities nearby. For example, he cites the Institute for System Level Integration as a “key factor in our decision to bring this project to Scotland as we need access to high-quality graduates and experienced engineers.”

Locate in Scotland’s North American headquarters is housed at 4 Landmark Square in Downtown Stamford. The organization, the economic development agency for that country, has regional offices in Chicago, Redwood Shores, CA, and Houston. The agency helped Motorola find a suitable site as well as secure financial incentives to help cover training costs and capital investment. The dollar value on the incentives was not disclosed.