Vishay acquires Newport Wafer Fab for $177M
Acquisition accelerates Vishay’s SiC production plans
US-based Vishay Intertechnology has completed the acquisition of Nexperia’s wafer fabrication facility and operations located in Newport, South Wales, UK for approximately $177 million.
The Newport wafer fab, located on 28 acres, is an automotive-certified, 200mm semiconductor wafer fab with capacity to produce more than 30,000 wafers per month. The fab is the UK’s largest semiconductor fab with a long history in supplying components to the automotive and industrial markets. Vishay plans to position the facility as a manufacturing excellence center focusing on Net Zero Transformation of decarbonisation and electrification.
As a new member of the Compound Semiconductor Cluster in South Wales, Vishay plans to collaborate with local universities and others in the UK to enhance its research and development efforts on power compound semiconductors.
“The acquisition of Newport aligns with the strategic shift the Board envisioned with its decision to appoint new leadership. Under Joel’s leadership, Vishay is making this shift, investing in technologies and incremental capacity to drive faster growth and enhance returns to stockholders. The goal is to prepare Vishay to capitalise on the megatrends of e-mobility, sustainability, and connectivity,” said Marc Zandman, executive chairman of the board.
“With a Vishay-owned fab to qualify and scale our SiC portfolio, we are accelerating our participation in the SiC MOSFETs and diodes marketplace, as desired by our customers,” said Joel Smejkal, president and CEO of Vishay. “In late 2022, the MaxPower acquisition advanced our SiC intellectual property and MOSFETs product technology. We are excited to further develop our SiC and GaN technology as a new member of the Compound Semiconductor Cluster in South Wales.”
“We welcome the highly skilled and dedicated employees at the Newport wafer fab into the Vishay family. Vishay is committed to investing in Newport to grow capacity, and to accelerate our SiC and GaN production and technology development. We look forward to the contributions of Newport’s employees to our shared success,” added Smejkal. “With the completion of the acquisition, we are now preparing to share our plans for Newport at our upcoming Investor Day on April 2, 2024.”
The transaction was funded by Vishay with cash on-hand. To affect the transaction, Vishay acquired a 100 percent interest in the legal entity Neptune 6 Limited, and its wholly-owned operating subsidiary, Nexperia Newport Limited, which owns and operates the Newport facility. Neptune 6 Limited is expected to be renamed 'Vishay UK Holdings Limited' and Nexperia Newport Limited is expected to be renamed 'Vishay Newport Limited'.
