News: Suppliers
5 June 2024
Aixtron acquires Italian production site near Turin
Deposition equipment maker Aixtron SE is expanding its manufacturing presence in Europe with the acquisition of a production site near Turin, in the Piedmont region of Italy. The firm is hence expanding its production capacities to be prepared for further growth in unit shipments in the coming years. Furthermore, the new location allows Aixtron to establish a link to the strong university and supplier ecosystem in the Piedmont region. Aixtron’s exiting locations in Herzogenrath, Germany (headquarters, R&D, production) and Cambridge, UK (R&D, production) are expected to benefit from the strengthened European footprint.
“Within 2-3 years, we envision a significant share of Aixtron volume to be shipped from this location,” says Aixtron’s CEO & president Dr Felix Grawert at a media event with representatives of the regional Italian government. “We were able to secure the rare opportunity to purchase an existing production facility at very attractive commercial terms, which provides almost all of the specialized operations and test infrastructure for the manufacturing of our equipment,” he adds. “Furthermore, we will be located in the heart of the manufacturing ecosystem of northern Italy, being close to many strong suppliers and world-class universities. We are proud to join this ecosystem and expect strong benefits for all parties, also for our exiting sites in Germany and in the UK.”
Picture: Aixtron press conference in Turin with representatives of the Piedmont region’s government (from right to left): regional minister for Productive Activities Andrea Tronzano, Piedmont Region president Alberto Cirio, Aixtron’s CEO Dr Felix Grawert, and Confindustria Piemonte president Marco Gay.
In a speech via video at the event, Adolfo Urso (National Minister for Enterprises and Made in Italy) emphasized the importance of the semiconductor industry for Italy and the region, and vice versa. “With these investments announced for 2024, Italy is on its way to become one of the leading chip and semiconductor manufacturers in Europe,” he added.
“The investment by Aixtron in Piedmont for a new production site comes a few weeks after the launch in Turin of the Foundation for the National Center for Artificial Intelligence,” emphasized Piedmont Region president Alberto Cirio, together with the regional ministers Andrea Tronzano (Productive Activities), Elena Chiorino (Training and Work) and Fabrizio Ricca (Internationalization). “An already excellent supply chain is therefore enriched and becomes increasingly competitive. “Piedmont aspires to have a leading role [in the semiconductor sector], as demonstrated by the decision to join the Alliance of European Regions for Semiconductors, a body of which we will assume the presidency in 2025,” they add.
“The contact with Aixtron was born exactly one year ago during a mission together with the president Cirio in Düsseldorf to consolidate our relations with the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, with which we have many points of contact,” says Tronzano. “This is an important result, achieved thanks to the work of our Attraction Team, created precisely to attract, accompany and consolidate investments in our territory. Piedmont, as also certified by the Financial Times, is confirmed as one of the most attractive European regions from a production and industrial point of view.”
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