Area Development
Maxim Integrated Products, Inc., a semiconductor company headquartered in Silicon Valley, will invest $75 million to upgrade its integrated circuits fabrication facility in Beaverton, Oregon, where the firm said it will add to its workforce as expansion is completed and production ramps-up.

Maxim, which purchased the 226,000-square-foot facility from Tektronix, Inc. in 1994, will make the plant more energy efficient, upgrade manufacturing equipment, improve process technologies, and convert to newer technology. The company employs approximately 540 manufacturing and engineering staff at its Beaverton plant, where it produces integrated circuits for electronic devices such as factory automation equipment, GPS and navigation units for cars and planes, satellite systems, and communications devices.

In addition to its Beaverton plant, located west of Portland at 14320 SW Jenkins Road, Maxim also employs approximately 300 workers in The Beaver State at its Hillsboro, Oregon, site which is focused on engineering and administrative functions.

"For nearly two decades, our Oregon employees have proven their commitment to help Maxim deliver the integrated engineering solutions that our partners demand," said Malcolm Delaney, Executive Director of Maxim's Beaverton fabrication facility. "Advanced manufacturing operations must keep pace with the technological needs of the marketplace. This new investment enables installation of next-generation equipment to support Maxim's newest process technologies."

US Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, said: "Maxim's investment demonstrates a commitment to keeping high-level manufacturing jobs in our communities. This is great news for Beaverton and Oregon's First District."

A Maxim spokesman said it did not receive any state or local tax incentives for its project.

With the aid of the Energy Trust of Oregon, an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to helping utility customers benefit from saving energy, the Beaverton plant qualified for state energy tax credits to fund a portion of its energy efficiency improvements. The site is actively looking at additional energy-efficiency opportunities in solar-electric power, lighting automation, and boiler plant upgrades, The Energy Trust said.

"Energy Trust arranged for engineers at Portland General Electric's Customer Technical Services to provide free energy analyses on all of our projects, lightening the load on our staff," said Malcolm Delaney, executive site director in an Energy Trust report. "We have received more than $533,760 in Energy Trust of Oregon incentives and each project has qualified for the state energy tax credit." PGE Customer Technical Services is the local program delivery contractor for Energy Trust.

Maxim's $75 million expansion of its Beaverton manufacturing facility is part of the company's $200 million multi-year investment to upgrade its U.S. manufacturing facilities in Oregon, Texas and California.