O’FALLON, Mo. — The White House announcement that an electronics manufacturer in O’Fallon is slated to get part of a $400 million investment from the federal government came as no surprise to local leaders who have been cultivating tech business in the area.
Patrick McKeehan, economic development director for O’Fallon, said the new money has long been in the works and will help manufacturer MEMC, LLC outfit its facility with the equipment it needs to boost efficiency making wafers used in semiconductors and across industries. The company is a subsidiary of Taiwan-based GlobalWafers.
The money comes through the federal CHIPS and Science Act, approved in 2022 to help localize semiconductor wafer production and advance U.S. technology leadership.
Scott Drachnik, CEO of the Economic Development Council of St. Charles County, said that he is pleased the money is going to American operations.
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“We love the fact that MEMC is helping that chip shortage,†Drachnik said. “The fact that they’re building more of those wafers here is great news for O’Fallon.
“O’Fallon is a silicon prairie,†he said.
MEMC will use the funds to ramp up operations and acquire equipment, said Karla Chaney, general site manager for the O’Fallon plant. Currently, the facility is producing its usual 200-millimeter silicon-on-insulator wafers and a low-volume pilot run of the 300-millimeter silicon-on-insulator wafers, commonly used in defense and aerospace projects.
“We’ll really be starting in 2025 and be in full production by the end of the second quarter in 2026,†Chaney said.
She said they will be looking to hire more than 100 people to add to the current 350-person workforce. Next year, MEMC will be hiring maintenance technicians, operators and engineers to fill out the new facility.
“They’re a foundation piece to the economy,†McKeehan said of MEMC. “To accelerate that investment, it’s good for all of us. … There’s a good chance anytime you touch something electronic it has some element of MEMC in O’Fallon.â€
Chaney said there’s a demand for 300-mm silicon-on-insulator wafers from their leading-edge customers, but customers had to buy from GlobalWafer competitors overseas because no one in the U.S. was making them. Approximately 90% of silicon wafers are sourced from East Asia today, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
“This gives them the choice,†Chaney said. “In fact, they desire it comes from the U.S. … Before, it wasn’t even an option.â€
Drachnik said MEMC’s latest funding adds to other major investments recently made in the area through Boeing, General Motors and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
“We have great tech jobs and we should be proud St. Louisans and proud Missourians because of that,†Drachnik. “People don’t realize we have so many high-tech jobs in the Midwest. We’re on a tear.â€
ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ photographers captured June 2024 in hundreds of images. Here are just some of those photos. Edited by Jenna Jones.