Subsidies can’t save sinking chips
Freescale, the US semiconductor manufacturer spun off from Motorola in 2004, announced that it will close its plant in East Kilbride in the second half of 2009. The announcement follows a failed 10-month search for a buyer. About 850 jobs will be lost, but 150 R&D staff will be retained.
The factory was built by Motorola in 1969 to design and make embedded microchips for mobile phones and car engines. The closure comes despite last year’s award of a £1.9m Regional Selective Assistance grant from the Scottish Government in an attempt to save jobs.
