May 16, 2012 – BUSINESS WIRE — Knowles, micro acoustics and micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) microphone maker, has shipped over 3 billion SiSonic MEMS microphones. From the SiSonic MEMS microphone introduction in 2003, it took 7 years (August 2009) to ship 1 billion. The rapid increase to 2 billion in May 2011 and 3 billion in May 2012 demonstrates the exponential growth of MEMS microphones in the consumer electronics and mobile devices industry, Knowles says.

Knowles is the largest MEMS microphone supplier with 75% market share in 2011 and customers such as Apple, Samsung, and LG. Knowles is ranked 2nd of all MEMS suppliers for consumer and mobile MEMS by IHS iSuppli and 8th of all MEMS suppliers for all MEMS applications. Yole Développement puts Knowles at 5th place.

Total industry revenue this year for MEMS microphones is projected to reach $493.5 million.

Due to "dramatic growth" in the MEMS microphone sector, Knowles recently expanded its facility in Penang, Malaysia to about 187,000sq.ft. The Malaysia facility is Knowles’s second SiSonic facility producing at a rate in excess of millions of units per day. Knowles’s facility in Suzhou, China, was the first plant dedicated solely to SiSonic.

Knowles Electronics is a leading global supplier of advanced micro-acoustic and human interface solutions, including hearing aid components, MEMS microphones as well as dynamic speakers and receivers. For more information, visit www.knowles.com. Knowles is owned by the Dover Corporation, a multi-billion dollar diversified global manufacturer of innovative equipment and components, specialty systems and support services. Visit www.dovercorporation.com for more information.

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