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Baguio City: Massachusetts-based LTX (Electronics) Corp., an
international designer and manufacturer of semiconductor test
solutions, is expanding its operations here, making the Philippines
its hub for its equipment repairs.
Eric L. Saunders, LTX branch operation manager,
told reporters that the company is spending $2.5 million for the
construction of its added building and equipment in Baguio City.
The company, which has operations and offices
all over Asia, Austria, Germany, Italy, France, US and Mexico, has
decided to locate in the country as a hub for the repair and
maintenance needs of semiconductor test solutions.
“Last year, [we] were only testing whether the
Philippines is already capable in giving this kind of service, but
with the very qualified local engineers and [our] initial ouput
everything went perfect,” Saunders said.
The X-series board, which LTX manufactures, is
the latest part of equipment that detects defects of micro chips.
“[We] find very qualified engineers here in
the Philippines, [our] decision to invest here has paved the way for
the company to be cost efficient and more competitive,” Saunders
said.
The firm’s biggest client is Texas
Instruments, apart from Baguio- and Manila-based semiconductor
companies. Once the LTX’ expansion project is done, they will
repair testing boards from all over the world to the Philippines.
“The expansion project will be finished in
August, during which, we will be accepting repairs not only in
Baguio and Manila-based semiconductor companies but all over the
world,” Saunders said.
Further, Saunders said that it is set to launch
eight new modules for electronics testing equipment this year, which
will be maintained and repaired by Filipino engineers.
-- Katrina Mennen A. Valdez
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