Industrial News

SAN FRANCISCO—T.J. Rodgers, founder and longtime CEO of Cypress Semiconductor Corp., has filed a lawsuit against his former company and is alleging conflict of interest over Cypress Chairman Ray Bingham’s ties to a China-backed private equity firm that is attempting to buy Lattice Semiconductor Corp. In a statement released Tuesday (Feb. 21), Rodgers said Bingham is one of two founding partners of Canyon Bridge Capital Partners, an equity investment firm backed by the government of China. Canyon Bridge last November agreed to buy Lattice for $1.3 billion. That acquisition is still pending and there is speculation that it may be [...]

MANILA, Philippines - Solar Philippines will showcase the country’s first solar farm equipped with batteries when it completes the first 50 megawatts (MW) of its largest solar project in Tarlac by mid-2017, its top official said yesterday. The company expects batteries to become a game changer in the solar market this year. “Tarlac Phase 1 of 50 MW will be completed by mid-2017 and the total 150 MW are targeted by end of the year,”  Solar Philippines president Leandro Leviste said in a text message yesterday. He said solar-plus-storage projects are already cheaper than expensive diesel and natural gas. [...]

A 600-megawatt solar panel factory is set to start its operations in Santo Tomas, Batangas, marking the first time that solar panels will be produced by a Philippine-owned company. Solar Philippines said the factory will generate about 1,000 jobs and use high-end German equipment and high-efficiency Taiwanese cells. In a statement, Solar Philippines President Leandro Leviste said the country can save P50 billion to P100 billion yearly once it can be demonstrated that solar with batteries can provide reliable power 24/7. “Vertical integration is the key to making solar cost-competitive, as in other countries, where solar is already cheaper [...]

ABS-CBN News Posted at Jan 12 2017 04:51 PM   MANILA - Phoenix Semiconductor Philippines Corp. said Thursday it would continue its expansion in Clark to cater to new clients. The semiconductor firm said the second phase of its plan includes the construction of a manufacturing building and warehouse as well as the expansion of a power utility building within its 15-hectare facility. "The commencement of the Phase 2 project is a clear testament of the commitment of PSPC and its major shareholder, SFA Semicon Co., Ltd of Korea, to continue with its investments and to expand its presence [...]

An NXP Semiconductors spinoff is taking its first steps as an independent supplier of standard products like discrete components, logic, and power switches. Nexperia, as the new company is called, is composed of the NXP's former standard products business. Last year, the Dutch chip maker sold the division to Chinese investors to sharpen its focus on mixed-signal electronics for security, embedded computing, and connected cars. Based in Nijmegen, Netherlands, the company has around 11 thousand employees, a fourth of NXP's entire workforce. The former vice president and general manager of the standard products business, Frans Scheper, is the chief executive. Nexperia [...]

Chinese investors' deal to buy Lattice Semiconductor came under attack Tuesday from 22 members of Congress, including one from Oregon. They want the U.S. Treasury Department to intervene and halt the $1.3 billion sale. Lattice, Portland's biggest tech company, makes chips that play a supporting role in a range of digital devices. Its field programmable gate array, or FPGA, is found in such products as communications networking gear, digital cameras and smartphones, Lattice, Portland's biggest tech company, makes chips that play a supporting role in a range of digital devices. Its field programmable gate array, or FPGA, is found in such [...]

Activist investor Starboard Value LP has acquired a stake in aircraft component maker Rockwell Collins Inc.(COL.N) and is questioning its $6.4 billion purchase of B/E Aerospace Inc.(BEAV.O), a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. Bloomberg reported earlier on Wednesday, citing sources, that Starboard had asked Rockwell Collins to explore alternative options, including selling itself. Rockwell Collins has yet to receive any formal letter from Starboard, the source said. The source asked not to be identified because the matter is confidential. Rockwell's shares were up 2.7 percent at $95.20 in extended trading on Wednesday, while B/E Aerospace [...]

ON Semiconductor Corporation and Fairchild Semiconductor International, Inc. jointly announced today that ON Semiconductor has successfully completed its previously announced $2.4 billion cash acquisition of Fairchild. “The acquisition of Fairchild is a transformative step in our quest to become the premier supplier of power management and analog semiconductor solutions for a wide range of applications and end-markets,” said Keith Jackson, president and CEO of ON Semiconductor. “Fairchild provides us a platform to aggressively expand our profitability in a highly fragmented industry. With the addition of Fairchild, our industry leading cost structure has further improved in a significant manner [...]

AYALA-LED Integrated Micro-Electronics Inc. (IMI) has acquired a 76 percent stake in a German optical bonding and display solutions provider in a move seen boosting its growth and presenting more opportunities in other segments. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), IMI said it has signed a definitive agreement with Germany-based VIA optronics GmbH (VIA) allowing for its acquisition of 76 percent of VIA for 47.4 million euros ($53.4 million, P2.48 billion). VIA specializes on optical bonding and display, which enhances visibility and performance of display systems for curved, plastic, 3D and large size applications especially in [...]

US solar manufacturer and developer Sunpower Corp. recorded increased GAAP revenues of $420.5 million for Q2 2016 compared to $381.0 million in Q2 2015. The company recorded a sharp year-on-year decrease in GAAP net income from $6.5 million in Q2 2015 to net loss of $70.0 million in Q2 2016.The company announced due to »the realignment of our power plant segment principally around our core markets, we have made the decision to close our Philippine panel assembly facility and transfer the equipment to our latest generation, lower cost facilities in Mexico,« furthermore workforce reduction of approximately 15 percent or [...]