As Factories go up, More Semiconductor Suppliers Arrive. This one will Bring 500 Jobs to Chandler Article originally posted on AZ Central on April 28, 2023 As the semiconductor manufacturing buildings go up, the suppliers move in. Edwards, a British company that helps to keep clean rooms and other manufacturing areas pristine, has opened shop in Chandler, the latest in a string of suppliers and contractors jockeying to serve Arizona’s burgeoning microchip industry. The company provides sophisticated vacuum and exhaust-management equipment and systems for semiconductor manufacturers. It hosted a grand opening April 20 for a new 200,000-square-foot facility that will manufacture, inspect and repair equipment. Edwards anticipates hiring around 500 people over the next few years at the site near Chandler Airpark. Gov. Katie Hobbs, who was at the dedication ceremony and attended high school in Chandler, said investments like the one made by Edwards will ripple across the Arizona economy. “Today is a sign of more great things to come,” Hobbs said, lauding Arizona’s ability to attract foreign investments. Focus around Intel, Taiwan Semiconductor projects The state’s semiconductor industry was energized by two major projects in particular — Intel’s $20 billion expansion of its campus in Chandler and a new $40 billion fab or factory complex for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. in north Phoenix. Those investments, in turn, were invigorated by the passage of the federal CHIPS Act last year. Arizona is “primed” to win more funding from the legislation, Hobbs said. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz. and a strong proponent of that legislation, said in a video at the Edwards ceremony that many of the jobs created by the company and others pay well and don’t require a four-year college degree. Geert Follens, president of Atlas Copco Vacuum Technique, said the decision to locate in Chandler was designed to support the new semiconductor fabs going up or expanding in the Phoenix area. Edwards, with more than 7,000 employees worldwide, also supports the production of solar cells, LEDs, electronic displays and other products. Edwards is a British subsidiary of Sweden’s Atlas Copco Group. The new facility in Chandler “will contribute to the safe, productive and sustainable manufacturing of semiconductors in North America as well as provide exciting career opportunities for the local community,” Follens said. Edwards’ products also are used in the manufacturing of power equipment, glass, coatings, steel, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, scientific instruments and more. Semiconductor supplier count rising The company is the latest of more than two dozen semiconductor-related ventures or expansions in Arizona over the past two years, according to the Arizona Commerce Authority. Other recent notable moves include: Benchmark Electronics, an engineering and design services company, is hiring around 100 people in Mesa. Jeff Benck, Benchmark’s president and CEO, said his company’s investments will help meet the increasing demand for semiconductor equipment. Hyrel Technologies, which creates touchless robotic processing systems for semiconductors and other industries, plans to add around 50 jobs in Peoria. Chang Chun Arizona, a Taiwan-based company, is creating 200 jobs in Casa Grande. That facility will supply high-quality chemicals used in the manufacture of semiconductor wafers, with shipments expected to begin in 2024 and the plant built out in 2025. Sunlit Chemical, another Taiwan-based supplier of chemicals to the semiconductor industry, is developing a $100 million complex in north Phoenix that will produce hydrofluoric acid and other high-purity industrial chemicals starting in 2025.