The state awarded semiconductor producer Hempfield $1 million and added federal support to help expand jobs and manufacturing capacity.
PowerRex, located near Westmoreland County Community College, will be able to increase production and hire more than 25 employees as a result of investments by the state Community and Economic Development Department and the federal government, PowerRex’s Joseph said. – CEO Wolf said. The federal government last week announced a $3 million grant to the project through the federal CHIPS and Science Act.
The government funding comes in addition to at least $14 million in private investment from the company to modernize and upgrade key assembly, production and testing capabilities. The company produces high-power semiconductors for fields such as military electronics, aircraft, alternative energy, and electric vehicles.
The expansion will allow Powerex to increase its workforce by 215 employees, Wolf said. There are also additional plans to move some production from the company’s factory in Warsaw, Poland, to Hempfield.
Wolf said Powerlex’s receipt of $3 million from the federal government was conditional on financial support from the state.
Powerex is 50% owned by Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi and is a joint venture partner with General Electric, which also owns a 50% stake in the local plant. The state says Powerex is one of the last vertically integrated power semiconductor facilities in the nation.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering the Irwin, North Huntingdon and Norwin school districts. I also write about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked for the tribe since the early 1980s. Please contact us at jnapsha@triblive.com.
