buglerbilly
16-06-10, 02:22 PM
Posted by Bradley Peniston | June 16th, 2010
By PIERRE TRAN – Sofradir, the French infrared component maker, may open a U.S. facility to design and assemble IR packages to better serve the American defense market, chief executive Philippe Bensussan said June 16 at the Eurosatory trade show.
A 1280x1024 infrared sensor chip. (Sofradir photo)
“We are ready to increase our presence by bringing packaging capacity to the U.S.,” Bensussan said.
Bensussan expects to make a final decision this year and take it to the joint venture company’s owners, Thales and Safran.
The move would put U.S. local content into the firm’s infrared subassemblies, and aim to qualify for the special security agreement regime in order to avoid the bureaucratic delays of complying with ITAR technology restrictions.
“This is the best of both worlds,” Bensussan said. “U.S. clients get advance technology chips and local content.”
The firm’s managers have identified a site for a clean room near the Fairfield, N.J., offices of the American subsidiary, Sofradir Engineered Components. The plant would cost under $5 million and add 10 to 20 people to Sofradir’s local workforce.
Sofradir would ship its semiconductor chips to the new facility, which would handle cryogenics, vacuum technology and optics for the packages.
These would be sold to American equipment makers and integrators. The facility would also design for U.S. requirements, speeding up the supply process.
Sofradir works with U.S. equipment maker FLIR Systems as part of its effort to sell into the American military and commercial market. But the French company, which has U.S. sales of about $10 million a year, has found sales slower than expected because its foreign supplier status is seen as a negative against domestic companies.
By PIERRE TRAN – Sofradir, the French infrared component maker, may open a U.S. facility to design and assemble IR packages to better serve the American defense market, chief executive Philippe Bensussan said June 16 at the Eurosatory trade show.
A 1280x1024 infrared sensor chip. (Sofradir photo)
“We are ready to increase our presence by bringing packaging capacity to the U.S.,” Bensussan said.
Bensussan expects to make a final decision this year and take it to the joint venture company’s owners, Thales and Safran.
The move would put U.S. local content into the firm’s infrared subassemblies, and aim to qualify for the special security agreement regime in order to avoid the bureaucratic delays of complying with ITAR technology restrictions.
“This is the best of both worlds,” Bensussan said. “U.S. clients get advance technology chips and local content.”
The firm’s managers have identified a site for a clean room near the Fairfield, N.J., offices of the American subsidiary, Sofradir Engineered Components. The plant would cost under $5 million and add 10 to 20 people to Sofradir’s local workforce.
Sofradir would ship its semiconductor chips to the new facility, which would handle cryogenics, vacuum technology and optics for the packages.
These would be sold to American equipment makers and integrators. The facility would also design for U.S. requirements, speeding up the supply process.
Sofradir works with U.S. equipment maker FLIR Systems as part of its effort to sell into the American military and commercial market. But the French company, which has U.S. sales of about $10 million a year, has found sales slower than expected because its foreign supplier status is seen as a negative against domestic companies.