April 4, 2001 — BOUSKOURA, Morocco — STMicroelectronics on Tuesday opened a new assembly and test plant near Casablanca that includes approximately 345,000 square feet of cleanroom space and 43,000 square feet of warehouse facilities.

The new plant was designed to produce up to 25 million integrated circuit chips a day and is expected to employ as many as 2,500 people when it reaches full capacity. Currently, the facility employs 733 people and has a capacity of 2.3 million circuit chips per day.

“With our long and successful history of working with the Moroccan people, we are delighted with the Bouskoura 2000 project and are fully confident that our new plant will be a formidable addition to our global network of world-class manufacturing facilities,” said Pasquale Pistorio, president and CEO of STMicroelectronics.

The project represents a planned investment of $300 million for STMicroelectronics.

Company officials claim the plant will be the most advanced in terms of automation and technology when completed. It will be used to test a variety of semiconductor products that integral components to industry sectors including power conversion, automotive, telecommunications, home appliances, and computers.

The automated assembly and test lines will perform 11 different manufacturing operations, from die or wire bonding to testing and packing, in a hands-free environment will significantly cut cycle time.