SEMICONDUCTOR process control and yield management solutions provider KLA expects to complete the second phase of its expansion in Singapore by 2026.
The company is also expecting to add an estimated 30 per cent, or 400 new employees, to KLA’s local workforce when the site is completed. It currently has about 1,500 employees.
The announcement was made on Thursday (Oct 3) at the opening of its facility in Ang Mo Kio, which it took occupancy of in 2022 as part of its phase one expansion in Singapore.
In his speech, KLA Singapore country president and senior vice-president of global operations Theo Kneepkens noted that in 2022, the company was surprised by the increase in demand the semiconductor industry experienced at the time.
Because KLA needed to expand quickly, it could not build a new facility from scratch. Instead, it secured an existing building and began fitting it out with clean rooms. Kneepkens thanked the facilities team for getting operations at the Ang Mo Kio facility up and running within 100 days.
“We are planning now, in a more gradual way, for that expansion with a fresh new building here,” he said, adding that it will soon be out of space within the next two years.
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The company’s phase one facility currently encompasses about 200,000 square feet (sq ft), including a 46,000 sq ft Class 100 clean room and a 12,000 sq ft Class 10K clean room.
KLA, which is listed in the US, said that phase two of the facility’s expansion will bring its total capacity to 420,000 sq ft. The space will be used to further expand the clean room space as well as its local research and development facilities.
The company said that it is committed to “developing and nurturing local highly skilled technical talent” as well.
“As of 2023, 15,000 training sessions have been conducted, including training programmes to hone the niche skills needed for the industry,” the company said.
Kneepkens noted that the company has been steadily expanding its operations in Singapore to serve both regional and global customers since it first came to the country close to 30 years ago.
KLA began operations here with a sales and service office in 1996, before bringing its regional sourcing office to Singapore in 2006.
Today, the city-state has one of its largest manufacturing operations and also houses its research and development, training centre and corporate functions.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong said in his speech that KLA’s latest facility will not only create jobs, but also create opportunities for local companies to collaborate with the company.
He gave the example of local company Alantac Industrial Services, which worked closely with KLA to co-develop precision cleaning solutions. Such solutions help to address the stringent cleaning requirements of newer tools used to inspect and detect small defects.
“Over time, this will uplift the capabilities of our local companies, so that they too can become leaders in the supplier ecosystem to serve companies here and in other markets,” he said.
