Industry News

The Bosch Group is building a €550 million fab for 200 millimeter semiconductors in Reutlingen, Germany. The facility began construction in fall of 2007 with production commencing in mid-2009. The plant will be able to produce 1,000 silicon wafers per day and will support Bosch’s automotive electronics business operations, including MEMS and micromachined chip technologies.

The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) dedicated the $22.7 million National Cold Water Marine Aquaculture Center (NCWMAC) in Franklin, Maine, in late May of 2008. Housing laboratory, office, and tank space to support 14 scientists and 45 staff, the 44,000-sf facility will foster the development of technologies for sustainable and profitable seafood production.

ilumisys has launched the first product in a series of patented light emitting diode (LED) tubes, designed to directly replace standard T-8 and T-12 fluorescent tubes. The ilumisys MK1 product uses high brightness LEDs to provide efficient and effective light, and is available in color temperatures ranging from 3500° K to 5000° K, with a variety of optical diffusion options. High brightness LEDs are used in conjunction with well engineered optics, circuitry, and thermal management to provide maximum light output with minimum power consumption.

Boehringer Ingelheim inaugurated the $36 million Global Centre of Excellence for Antiviral Drug Discovery in Laval, Quebec, in May of 2008. Supporting the discovery of treatments for serious infectious diseases including Hepatitis C and AIDS, the laboratory can accommodate 40 researchers. The project construction manager was Kingston Beyers of LaSalle, Quebec.

Fraser Health has selected BC Healthcare Solutions, led by French firm Bouygues Batiment International, to design, build, finance, and maintain its planned $150-million outpatient hospital in Surrey, British Columbia. Housing day surgery, diagnosis, and clinical care, the 148,000-sf facility is slated for completion by early 2011.