BEI ships 5 millionth auto MEMS sensors

Oct. 17, 2002 — BEI Technologies Inc. said it has shipped its 5 millionth GyroChip automotive sensor.

BEI officials said global acceptance of the MEMS sensors, used for vehicle stability control, has helped the company achieve the production milestone in a relatively short time. The company announced in February 2000 it had shipped 1 million.

The first commercial application for the automotive sensors was in Cadillac’s StabiliTrak system, which debuted in the mid-’90s. BEI said it has continued to miniaturize the sensors, allowing for more per wafer.

BEI’s MEMS sensors are used in Boeing’s 777 and 737 aircraft, and guided the Mars Rover and Sojourner spacecraft. The company also signed a contract earlier this year to make sensors for the Predator missile, said Asad Madni, BEI’s president and chief operating officer.

The company recently announced it would separate its Systron Donner division into two distinct operations to focus on its main MEMS sensors’ markets: an automotive division for automotive stability control, rollover and emerging system markets; and an inertial division for aerospace, defense and commercial aviation.

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