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By Eddie Docherty 13 December 2007 East Kilbride News
EAST Kilbride’s business community was well represented at an event to promote Scotland’s semi-conductor industry.A total of six local companies attended and participated in a national forum aimed at growing the hi-tec sector within Scotland and overseas.

The six companies from East Kilbride, who are all key suppliers to the industry, were;
1 Semi Scenic from the Scottish Enterprise Technology Park.
2 EKC Dupont from the Nerston Industrial Estate.
3 Heraeus QuartzTech based in the Kelvin South Business Park.
4 Merit Specialist Services from the Kelvin Industrial Estate.
5 Recycle Inc in College Milton.
6 RF Global Solutions located in the Kelvin Business Park South.

National Semiconductor (UK), who are based in Greenock, hosted the forum which was also aimed at giving companies the opportunity to network with other suppliers and identify new products and services.
The East Kilbride companies were among 10 from Lanarkshire and 60 from across Scotland who attended the event which has been hailed as a major success by all attending.
The firms from the town and the county were joined at the exhibition by representatives from Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire (SEL) and Scottish Development International (SDI).

Andy Boyle, growing business manager at SEL, said that local firms were delighted to be able to play a part.He continued: “The semiconductor industry plays an important role in contributing to the Scottish economy as well as the economy of Lanarkshire.“And East Kilbride is home to a number of leading companies that help Scotland retain a strong supplier infrastructure in this sector.”

Gerry Edwards, vice president and managing director of National Semiconductor (UK), said: “The Scottish semiconductor supplier infrastructure has matured into a significant economic force that consists of over 1000 companies employing over 2000 people.“However, there is always scope for further development and expansion, and it is events like this, which allow us the opportunity to exchange opinions on how best to take the sector forward.”

Mark Hodgetts, managing executive of the Scottish Semiconductor Supplier Forum which organised the event, said: “Our role is to provide a voice for companies and encourage indigenous growth.
“The best way to do this is to share knowledge and best practice and that’s why our annual exhibition is so important.