Industry News

IBM Corp. and six other semiconductor companies will invest $1.9 billion to construct a chip manufacturing plant in East Fishkill, N.Y. The plant will creat 750 jobs, in addition to 250 research-related positions. The partners in the consortium are reported to include Samsung, Sony Corp., Toshiba, Infineon Technologies, Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, and Advanced Micro Devices.

Nielsen Media Research (NMR), a provider of television audience measurement and monitoring services, has completed its new $71.5 million, 39-acre corporate campus in Oldsmar, Fla. The 475,000-sf Phase I campus consists of five interconnected buildings which include training rooms, conference facilities, and a 4,000-sf employee cafeteria that can accommodate over 330 people. The project features a four-story, 100,000-sf data center and central plant with a 25,000-sf computer room.

Shriners' Hospital for Children in Mexico City is now 73 pecent complete. Constructed by Beck, the 311,000-sf facility consists of three storeis and a basement housing 80 pediatric and four critical care beds.

German firm ORAFOL USA will construct a 20,000-sf facility in the Interstate Centre industrial park in Bryan County, Ga., to house its U.S. headquarters and first manufacturing operations outside of Germany. Slated for completion in 2006, the facility represents a $45 million investment over two development phases. The project will create sixty new jobs by year-end 2008. ORAFOL USA, a subsidiary of Oranienberg-based ORAFOL Klebetechnik GmbH, produces PVC films for use in reflective films, adhesive tapes, and graphics products.  

Site preparation has begun on Target Corp. 's new $110-million retail distribution center in De Kalb, Ill. The 1.5 million-sf facility will initially employ 500 workers and will potentially double that count over the next few years.