Glenrothes Electronics Company secures Scottish Enterprise investment

The silicon wafer foundry operation’s investment will mean an injection of £1.25 million into the Scottish economy as the organisation looks to create greater cost efficiency in its operations while exploring more niche and newer technology MEMS sensors; which in turn will create three full time new jobs in the area.

Supported by a £220,000 Regional Selective Assistance from Scottish Enterprise, Semefab, which exported over 85 per cent of its output to Europe, USA and Far East in 2014/15, intends to compete globally with this new investment and attract new customers.

Semefab currently has no UK-based competition for its discrete and integrated circuit semiconductor devices and Micro Electro-mechanical Systems (MEMS), which are sold into the medical, automotive, industrial and consumer markets worldwide.

Sensors for the ‘Internet of Things’ are key development areas for the future, particularly for the home, wearable devices, mobile phones and monitoring the environment, as well as ‘In the Home’ medical sensors for diagnostics and control of medication.

Alan James, joint managing director of Semefab Ltd, said: “We really appreciate this support from Scottish Enterprise. The investment is an important step in our drive to reduce lead times and fully utilise the capacity of our three wafer fabrication facilities here in Glenrothes.”

Scottish Government minister for business, innovation and energy, Paul Wheelhouse, said: “I am very pleased to welcome this investment into Semefab, meaning that they can export their innovative products around the world and provide a boost for Scotland’s economy. This is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate how our world class manufacturing and technology companies are leading the way in Scotland and around the globe.”

Adrian Gillespie, managing director of growth companies, innovation and infrastructure at Scottish Enterprise, said: “This is a superb example of a Scottish manufacturing company at the forefront of enabling technologies such as micro and nanotechnology. We are very pleased to be supporting Semefab enhance their competitiveness and add even greater value to Scotland’s economy.”