Motorola Set To Open Semiconductor Plant In Scotland

Already the largest private-sector employer in Scotland, Motorola Inc. is upping the ante there with a US$2 billion investment to open a semiconductor factory in Dunfermine. The factory will build components for mobile telecommunications equipment. Motorola, which already has three facilities in Scotland employing 6,500, is buying the plant from Hyundai. The 100,000 sq-m plant is expected to employ 1,350 people over the next five years. Since first establishing a manufacturing operation in Scotland in 1969, the Motorola has invested more than US$1.6 billion there. The company's overall employment in the UK is approximately 10,000 people.