A US semiconductor manufacturer has announced it is to invest $11 million (£7.5 million) in new production equipment at its facility in Idaho.
ON Semiconductor plans to install additional machinery at its Fab 10 plant in Pocatello, where it makes eight-inch wafers for energy efficient technology, in order to increase its capacity by the end of this year.
Furthermore, the company announced that the investment will help to safeguard existing jobs and create new vacancies at the Arizona-based firm, which it suggested is an indicator of its commitment to maintaining production at the facility.
Chuck Spinner, ON's vice-president of eight-inch manufacturing at Pocatello, said that with the organisation having weathered the economic storm, it is now focused on addressing the increased demand and opportunity in the semiconductor market.
ON develops devices for a range of industries including automotive, telecommunications and the LED lighting sector through what it calls its "world-class supply chain".