EV Group (EVG), a leading supplier of wafer-bonding and lithography equipment for the advanced semiconductor and packaging, MEMS, silicon-on-insulator (SOI) and emerging nanotechnology markets, today announced that it will open a new subsidiary in Seoul, Korea. The new subsidiary will serve as a direct-to-customer site for sales, service and support efforts for EVG's existing and potential new customer base. Until now, EVG's presence in Korea was via both its distribution and R&D partners. This move is set to place EVG on the ground to meet the growing demands for the company's technologies around the clock or 24/7.
Commenting on today's announcement, Hermann Waltl, EVG's senior vice president of sales, noted, "We are highly committed to establishing and sustaining partnerships with our customers. The opening of our own subsidiary in Korea affords us a great opportunity to continue delivering on that commitment in this burgeoning market for EVG. The growth we've seen in our customer base thus far, coupled with the market potential, makes this move a clear and natural progression for us. Moreover, as Korea continues to increase its technological development efforts to aggressively compete in the global semiconductor and MEMS arenas, the region is a hotbed for adoption of the latest enabling manufacturing technologies. This creates significant market potential for EVG, particularly in areas such as 3D stacking, advanced chip-to-wafer integration, as well as wafer-to-wafer bonding. So, naturally, the opportunities and benefits of establishing ground operations here are manifold."
Independent of EVG's efforts within this region, the company has had an active role in Korea for the last decade. Specifically, EVG has collaborated with Jinsan Scientific Co. Ltd. and Jinsan Micro-engineering Ltd. to open a cleanroom facility, known as JML lab. This facility is designed to capture R&D efforts for MEMS, advanced packaging and nanoimprint lithography applications, as well as serve as a demonstration center for EVG's Korean customer base. In addition, the company is in close partnership with the BioIT National Foundry Center, which was established by Korea's Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy. The Center is based at Seoul National University (SNU) -- one of the three national universities focused on transforming local industries into high-value-added industries of the future. The Center at SNU is specifically dedicated to research and development surrounding biotechnology, including lab-on-a-chip.
EVG's new Korean subsidiary will house myriad functions, including sales, service, process/application and administrative capabilities.