This is the second in a series of articles about SK Siltron CSS and what its investment in Bay County means for the Great Lakes Bay Region. On April 6, Route Bay City will highlight Eric Moore, a lead operator in the department where the company grows silicon carbide crystals.
Rose Dugan doesn’t mince words when it comes to SK Siltron CSS.
“It’s just mind-blowing knowing the work we do is so cutting edge and important for the local area and Michigan as a whole,” said Dugan, a quality assurance operator at the semiconductor wafer manufacturer in Bay County.
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The good news for the Great Lakes Bay Region is that
SK Siltron CSS says it plans to continue growing its workforce and doubling its capacity year over year to keep up with the demand for semiconductor chips powered by silicon carbide wafers.
“We’ll be growing exponentially over the next couple of years and, as such, I think it’ll make a huge contribution to the local economy and to our local workforce,” said Tiffany Kukla, human resources manager.
SK Siltron CSS is a U.S. subsidiary of
SK Siltron, one of the world’s largest silicon wafer suppliers, based in South Korea. It expanded into the silicon carbide field in 2019 when it acquired DuPont’s silicon carbide wafer unit in Williams Township. It later purchased the former F.P. Horak building in Monitor Township and completed a 200,000-square-foot addition there last year as part of a $300 million investment in its Bay County operations.
The company also created 150 new, highly skilled jobs, bringing its total workforce to 240 employees, from scientists and engineers to operators, quality control experts and supply chain professionals, said Matthew Gave, research and development manager.
Trevor Keyes, president and CEO of
Bay Future, Inc., said the company’s investment in Bay County is already having a huge impact on the region.
“Our neighbors, our friends and our family members now have the opportunity to find new, high-tech careers here that are sure to have positive impacts on their lives and the lives of their children,” Keyes said.
Dugan couldn’t agree more.
The 42-year-old Bridgeport mother has worked since 2017 in silicon carbide wafer manufacturing at the Williams Township facility. SK Siltron CSS promoted her last May from shipping specialist to quality assurance operator. She says she loves her new role.
“It’s our job to make sure the products we are sending to our customers are the best they can be and meet all their specifications,” Dugan said. “It’s definitely important work.”
Dugan said she feels SK Siltron CSS is family-oriented and concerned about employee well-being both personally and professionally. The company has been extremely understanding about the time she’s needed to care for her father, who has dementia.
“I’ll never forget the day when our CEO asked me how my dad was doing,” she said. “That’s pretty amazing.”
Dugan said there are plenty of career opportunities available for anyone interested.
“There are so many different types of work here for different types of people,” she said. “If you’re looking for a rewarding job, come on over.”
For more information about careers at SK Siltron CSS, visit its website
here.
To read the first article in this series, visit Route Bay City's March 16 issue for an article titled "SK Siltron CSS puts Bay County at the forefront of the nation's growing appetite for semiconductor chips."
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