The management teams from Plus Semi in Swindon, UK, and the former X-FAB facility in Roborough, Plymouth, UK, have taken the bold step to re-launch Plessey Semiconductors Ltd. The company has been created from the acquisition of the share capital of X-FAB UK Limited together with existing key engineering competence within a design and technology centre located in Swindon, and has begun trading from the semiconductor manufacturing facility in Roborough.

This facility currently produces eight-inch wafers for external customers in a foundry business model on 0.35 micron CMOS process technologies. Aided by a £1 M grant from the UK’s South West Regional Development Agency, Plessey Semiconductors is transferring its world-class bipolar process technologies on both silicon and silicon-on-insulator substrates into its Roborough facility with the transfer process scheduled for completion later in 2010.

Both the CMOS and the bipolar process technologies will be used to support a set of existing foundry customers. However, Plessey Semiconductors aims to follow in its namesake’s footsteps by developing and supporting a range of high performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductor products.

“The historical significance of what we are doing is not lost on the management and employees of our new business,” said Michael LeGoff, Managing Director of Plessey Semiconductors. “A large proportion of our employees started their careers in Plessey working in the various sites around the UK. We see this announcement as a return to our roots. This is a business model that addresses a market that we know very well – designing and manufacturing a set of high technology semiconductor products that competes with any semiconductor company in the world.”

Paul James, the company’s Commercial Director, added, “We are very excited about the re-launch of the Plessey Semiconductors’ brand and our new business strategy. Our positioning addresses the critical and immediate requirements we have identified in the market for our high performance analog technology and products. We have been receiving very positive responses from the market about our plans to support both our existing foundry customers and to engage new customers with exciting new product releases. The first of these product families is on schedule for release later in 2010.”