|
MICROCHIP Technology Inc. sees the Philippines as an
ideal place to put up a test center for semiconductors.
The view
has prompted the Arizona-based semiconductor firm to
establish the Microchip Philippine Technical Center, a
first of its kind in the country.
Talking
to reporters in the financial district of Makati,
Microchip Technology’s president, chief executive and
chairman Steve Sanghi said the company is confident
about the Philippines because competent techies who can
help create new products are available.
“We are
the first international semiconductor company to open a
technical development center of this kind in the
Philippines, which we believe clearly demonstrates our
commitment to the Philippines and our intention to grow
our footprint on a longer term,” he said.
“One of
the biggest benefits of locating in the Philippines is
the increased access to skilled engineers who can assist
us in the ongoing development of new embedded-control
products for our consumers worldwide,” he added.
The
company also operates development centers in China,
India, Romania, Switzerland, Thailand and the United
States.
Douglas
Chaffe, general manager of the Philippine technical
center, said the facility would provide global
engineering support in product development, product
validation, product characterization and the
establishment of manufacturing test procedures.
“We are
extremely pleased with the results and output of our
Philippine operations over the last six months, and we
plan to double our engineering staff over the next
year,” he said.
Sanghi
said Microchip Technology noticed how talented Filipinos
were when they were deployed in
Thailand.
But the
issue of relocation has become a problem, as the
Philippine engineers have expressed their reluctance in
being transferred on account of their loved ones who are
staying behind.
“As a
result, the pool was shrinking. So, we made the decision
to bring our operations to the
Philippines,”
Sanghi said.
The
company’s growth driver was the huge demand of for 8-
and 16-bit PIC microcontrollers worldwide.
Microncontrollers are used in consumer products, office
automation and automobiles. PIC microncontroller chips
are used in air conditioners, washing machines,
televisions and other appliances.
In the
automotive industry, major microcontroller users are
Mercedes Benz, Bavarian Motor Works (BMW) and Audi.
According to Google, PIC, or Programmable Intelligent
Computer” is a family of Harvard architecture
microcontrollers developed by Microchip Technology and
derived from the PIC1650 that was originally developed
by General Instrument’s Microelectronics Division.
Sanghi
said Microchip Technology also plans to establish
partnerships with Philippine educational institutions to
develop a reservoir of manpower to fill the company’s
needs. Possible areas for cooperation are curriculum
development and on-the-job-training. |
