April 14, 2003 – Poway, CA – Cohu Inc. plans to shut down its test equipment factory in Littleton, MA, and move production to its Poway headquarters.

The company, which makes pick-and-place machines used by Intel and other semiconductor makers, said it will close the factory to cut costs in the wake of a lingering downturn in orders.

The machines, which cost $150,000 to $350,000 each, are used in semiconductor assembly lines to pick up and arrange chips for performance testing.

A few of the 70 Littleton employees will be offered jobs in Poway, said John Allen, CFO. But it’s unclear how many will be interested in making the cross-country move, reported Knight Ridder Business News.

The shutdown involves Cohu’s Delta Design unit. After the shutdown later this year, Delta Design will employ about 500 workers.

The company said it expects to save $3.5 million a year because of the closure.