Power Integrations Unveils New Swiss Office
Facility will house R&D and product development for gate drivers for high-power applications such as solar and wind energy, and electric trains
Power Integrations, a maker of chips for energy-efficient power conversion, has opened a newly constructed facility in Biel, Switzerland at a ceremony hosted by the company’s CEO, Balu Balakrishnan, and attended by Biel mayor Erich Fehr.
The 4,600-square-metre, $20 million facility is the new home for about 60 engineers and other technology professionals, a number that is expected to rise as the company continues to grow in the years ahead. In addition to modern office and laboratory space, the contemporary building houses a surface-mounted-technology (SMT) line used to develop prototypes for the company’s gate-driver products. The facility also features a 25-kilowatt rooftop solar array.
Power Integrations’ presence in Switzerland dates to its 2012 acquisition of CT-Concept Technologie AG. Its Biel operation specialises in gate drivers for high-power applications such as solar and wind energy, electric locomotives and efficient DC transmission lines, and is an integral part of the company’s efforts in the electric-vehicle market. Worldwide, Power Integrations employs approximately 770 people, with additional R&D centers at its Silicon Valley headquarters as well as in Canada, Malaysia and the United Kingdom, and design-support centers in Germany and the Philippines.
Commented Balakrishnan: "We are delighted to open our new, permanent home in Biel, bringing all of our local employees under one roof and giving us ample room for the growth we expect in the years ahead. Our presence here is an essential part of our company’s efforts to develop innovative products for a low-carbon future. We are grateful to the city’s leaders for their support of this project, and we look forward to a long and productive future together.”
Biel mayor Erich Fehr commented: "I am pleased by Power Integrations' enduring commitment to the city of Biel. The fact that such an innovative, fast-growing company has chosen to establish roots here speaks for the attractiveness of our city and our region as a business location. At the same time, our city benefits from Power Integrations' dynamism and innovation, as the past decade has already proven."
Pictured above: Power Integrations CEO Balu Balakrishnan (centre, left) cuts the ribbon, joined by (from left to right) Nik Liechti, CEO of GLS Architects, Biel mayor Erich Fehr and Biel finance director Silvia Steidle.
