The plant will be located in a 200,000 sq.ft building that Lumileds purchased a short distance from its current rented space. The company expects to more than double its manufacturing workforce when all production lines are fully deployed. The new facility will also allow Lumileds to expand laboratory services such as calibration, reliability testing and failure analysis, and will include a state-of-the-art Luxeon Experience Centre to assist in hosting customer visits.
"Market demand for our Luxeon product line is accelerating as manufacturers and lighting designers become increasingly aware of the benefits of solid-state lighting in general and Luxeon in particular," said Greg Crema, Lumileds vice president of Worldwide Manufacturing. "This move will allow us to stay ahead of the demand curve and enable us to handle our growth projections for the foreseeable future."
Manufacturing at the new plant began at the end of April 2004, with simultaneous production at the old and new facilities to avoid disruption in supply while the new factory is brought online. New production lines are currently being installed and qualified to provide redundant manufacturing during this transition. The move will be completed by the beginning of July.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
