King Mohammed dedicates electronic components assembly plant
Morocco, Business, 4/4/2001

Morocco's King Mohammed VI dedicated on Tuesday afternoon a ST Microelectronics' new assembly and test plant at Bouskoura, near Casablanca.

Using state-of-the-art fully automated production techniques, the new plant is designed to produce as many as 25 million integrated circuits per day and is expected to employ 2,500 people when full capacity is reached. In its current ramp-up phase, the plant employs 733 people and has an installed capacity of 2.3 million devices per day.

The new facility has been established within the framework of the project "Bouskoura 2000." Representing a planned investment by ST of $300 million, of which $107 million has been planned for buildings and facilities only, the new plant includes 32,000 square meters of clean room area and 4,000 square meters of warehouse facilities. It will produce a wide range of semiconductor products, which will be exported to customers worldwide.

The new ST facility in Bouskoura will assemble and test a wide range of semiconductor products that are key components in industry sectors such as automotive, telecommunications, home appliances, computers and power conversion.

King Mohammed VI also kicked off an ST Microelectronics operation to plant 10,000 hectares of Argane, cedar and thuya trees, in support of Morocco's environment protection policy.

The sovereign also granted distinctions to the company's chief-executive officer, Pasquale Pistorio, vice-president for production and development in Morocco, Giordano Seragnoli and the company's general manager for Morocco, Mohamed Tajeddine Lasry.

ST's original plant in Bouskoura was built in 1979 but the Company's presence in Morocco can be traced back as far as 1952 when a small plant was established in Ain Sebaa. Both plants were subsequently upgraded and expanded. The Ain Sebaa plant which was substantially expanded in 1997 now covers an area of 26,000 square meters, with the capacity to assemble and test three billion components per year. ST currently employs 4,827 people in its Morocco plants.

Again in 1997, the Bouskoura and Ain Sebaa plants became the first sites in Morocco and on the entire African continent to be recognized by an internationally accredited organization to meet the requirements of both the European Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS regulation) as well as the internationally recognized ISO 14001 environmental standard.

STMicroelectronics (formerly SGS-THOMSON Microelectronics) is a global independent semiconductor company, whose shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange, on the ParisBourse and on the Milan Stock Exchange. The Company designs, develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of semiconductor integrated circuits (ICs) and discrete devices used in a wide variety of microelectronic applications, including telecommunications systems, computer systems, consumer products, automotive products and industrial automation and control systems.

In 2000, the Company's net revenues were $7,813.2 million and net earnings were $1,452.1 million. According to Dataquest's annual ranking for 2000, STMicroelectronics is the sixth largest semiconductor company in the world.

Previous Stories:
  International telecoms exhibition opens in Casablanca   (4/3/2001)
  ONA group improves 2000 turnover by 6.1%   (3/31/2001)
  Scottish delegation prospects partnership opportunities in Morocco   (3/30/2001)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search