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ASU Research
Facilities Attract Austrian Firm
Facilities Attract Austrian Firm
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| Spectrum Astro, recently acquired by General Dynamics, opened a new 135,000-sq.-ft. (12,500-sq.-m.) facility in Gilbert, Ariz., last February. The facility, which builds satellites, is billed as the "Factory of the Future" for its automation. |
Both New Mexico and Arizona get good marks for improvement from the closely watched National State Technology & Science Index conducted by the Milken Institute. New Mexico ranks 14th on the list, moving up from 20th on Milken's first index in 2002. Arizona comes in at No. 17, improving one notch from two years ago.
One of the latest technology firms to enter Arizona is the EV Group, an Austrian supplier of wafer-bonding and lithography equipment. Strong business has driven EV Group to expand its North American operations. The company will combine its headquarters, technology center and customer support division in the Arizona State University (ASU) Research
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| Austria-based EV Group is moving its North American headquarters and R&D facility into the Arizona State University Research Park. |
Steven Dwyer, EV Group's vice president and general manager, North America, says the research park was chosen for its proximity to customers, quality of facilities, the ability to work with ASU in the FDC partnership, and access to a good airport.
Along with its expansion in the ASU Research Park, EV Group will move its East Coast operations from Cranston, R.I., to the Albany NanoTech facility at the University at Albany-State University of New York. The facility, which uses EVG equipment for nano-science and nano-engineering research, provides a more centralized location for serving customers in the Northeast region.
Spectrum Astro, a specialist in design and manufacture of satellites, opened a new 135,000-sq.-ft. (12,500-sq.-m.) facility in Gilbert, Ariz., in February 2004. General Dynamics acquired the firm in April. Dubbed the "Factory of The Future," the facility encompasses assembly, integration and test space that can accommodate the simultaneous production of more than 20 satellites.
Also opening earlier in the year was Bombardier Aerospace's new heavy maintenance facility at the Tucson International Airport. The 131,000-sq.-ft. (3,710-sq.-m.) facility is aimed at U.S.-based regional airlines and may eventually employ 300.
