SAFC Hitech® well positioned for high-brightness LED manufacturing boom with TMG expansion at Bromborough UK plant.

SAFC Hitech®, a business segment within SAFC®, a member of the Sigma-Aldrich® Group, today announced plans to invest $2m (approximately £1.2m) in expanding production of trimethylgallium (TMG) at its Bromborough, Wirral, UK manufacturing plant. The investment, which was supported by Wirral Council and The Mersey Partnership (TMP), who helped secure additional funding of £300,000 from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), is expected to enable SAFC Hitech to strengthen its position as a leading global supplier of TMG and satisfy the growing demand for the material in the production of high brightness LEDs (HBLEDs) for use in applications such as backlighting in flat panel television sets and energy efficient lighting.

Reducing energy consumption and extending energy efficiency are trends driving the global electronics industry to provide more energy-efficient products and systems. Demand in the lighting industry, for example, has seen improvements with the deployment of LEDs to replace currently ubiquitous systems - incandescent light bulbs, fluorescent lighting and its compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) derivative. As a result, the electronics market is at the start of a phase where mass manufacture of HBLEDs is occurring.

TMG has been manufactured at SAFC Hitech's Bromborough facility for a number of years, primarily for supply to the global semiconductor industry. However, as TMG also fulfills the technical criteria for devices designed for the LED, laser, communication and other markets, the boom in demand for LEDs has led to the conclusion that expanding the plant - with its expertise and specific manufacturing knowledge for this process - was the ideal business solution to meet customer demand.

"Expanding our TMG capacity not only draws on our Bromborough facility's core competencies, but also reinforces Sigma-Aldrich's overall strategy of leveraging proprietary technologies and capabilities into new, fast growing market segments, thus differentiating ourselves and our materials offerings through technical innovation,"

commented Dr. Geoff Irvine, VP, Business Development, SAFC Hitech.

"The investment is an important boost for SAFC Hitech, and is expected to accelerate the delivery of TMG to a growing market as well as create jobs in the region, which is positive given the current economic climate. We'd like to thank the NWDA for award of the grant, and we recognize the value of the assistance provided by The Mersey Partnership (TMP) in helping with the grant application process."

Councillor Steve Foulkes, Leader of Wirral Council said:

"This announcement by SAFC Hitech follows other significant investments in the area by Bristol Myers Squibb and Tulip Ltd. and is further evidence that Wirral is a great place to do business. As a Council, we are working diligently to create an environment that helps businesses to grow and safeguard high value, research jobs. SAFC Hitech's expansion is another example of the work we are doing to protect and create jobs in Wirral."

TMP Chief Executive Lorraine Rogers welcomed the investment, adding:

"This investment will further position the SAFC Hitech site in Wirral as a leading global manufacturing and distribution facility for the growing LED market worldwide. As such, this investment is highly significant for Liverpool City Region's Low Carbon Economy and will help to further build the City Region's reputation as a world class location for research and development companies."

The £300,000 Grant for Business Investment (GBI), which was awarded by the NWDA, is part of 'Solutions for Business', the Government's package of publicly funded-business support designed to help companies start and grow.

Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of the NWDA, said:

"SAFC Hitech's investment to expand operations at its Bromborough production site is great news for the area. In the current economic climate, it is more important than ever for businesses to focus on innovation as a key way to boost growth and competitiveness. We are pleased to be providing our support to enable the company to capitalize on a key growth market, which crucially, will create and safeguard local jobs."

For further information regarding SAFC Hitech's world-class portfolio of products and services, go to www.safchitech.com.