Fife company cleans up in the semiconductor industry

Fife company cleans up in the semiconductor industry

Keywords Cleaning, Semiconductors,Shieldcare

A Fife company,challenging for top spot in a specialist sector of the world semiconductor market, has announced plans for a £1 million investment supported by Regional Selective Assistance (RSA).

The investment by Glenrothes-based Shieldcare Limited, which specialises in cleaning semiconductor production equipment parts for major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs),follows news that it will increase its workforce to more than 50, effectively doubling its number of employees during 12 months.

The company also announced record sales for the last 12 months of £3.7 million, despite a downturn in the worldwide market. This is due primarily to a series of major contract wins from semiconductor fabrication plants over the last two years, with 45 per cent of the company's business now coming from labs outside the UK including the Far East and the USA.

Cleaning involves applying sophisticated decontamination processes, many of which are leading edge solutions developed in-house by Shieldcare's own research and development department. The investment includes equipment that helps extend a part's life by automatically measuring the number of cleans it can withstand.