A semiconductor packaging maker has opened a second facility in Arizona and moved its corporate headquarters to that location.
RJR Technologies Inc. makes injection molded liquid crystal polymer air cavity semiconductor packaging in both its original Oakland, Calif., location and its second facility in Phoenix.
Earlier this year, the company moved its corporate operations from California to Arizona as part of a plan to help meet growing demand for its products.
"Our volumes are growing rapidly and our customers wanted a second source. Instead of licensing our technology, we decided to second source ourselves. We put a second facility in Phoenix," said Karen Lynch, director of sales and marketing at RJR Technologies.
"This is a highly automated process. It's not like we have to go to China or something like that. We're keeping it in the United States to protect our patents," she said.
RJR Technologies uses liquid crystal polymer to create the packaging that's commonly used in cellular communications base station applications. The thermoset packaging creates an air cavity within the packaging and competes against traditional ceramic and over-molded plastics packaging, Lynch explained.
The high-performance plastics packaging is designed to last years in both radio frequency and microwave applications, the company said.
The company has about 25 employees in its new 30,000-square -foot facility in Phoenix and expects that number to grow to about 150 during the next couple of years. Employment is expected to remain steady at about 100 in Oakland.
"We will maintain our Oakland facility to run our custom specialty product lines as well as a second source for our high volume standard products," CEO Wil Salhuana said in a statement.
Phoenix has an existing base of high-tech companies already established. That, along with a lower cost of living than Oakland, made Arizona an attractive place to expand and relocated the company's headquarters, Lynch said.
Other markets for the LCP packaging incudes the automotive and medical sectors, the company said. RJR Technologies, a privately held firm, did not disclose the cost of the new facility.
