Electronics

Metro New Mexico's electronics cluster is diverse and growing. Anchored by Intel Corporation, the cluster includes lab spinoffs and start-ups, mature home-grown firms, and relocating companies. Other activities in the region include:

• Manufacturing computer chips, silicon wafers and electronic components and equipment
• Developing and producing semiconductor measurement tools and training equipment
• Electronics fabrication and assembly

Electronics companies looking to expand or relocate to New Mexico will find a very business-friendly climate. The state offers a skilled workforce, low utility rates, affordable business locations and an excellent transportation infrastructure. New Mexico offers the electronics industry a wide variety of financial incentives as part of its commitment to developing its economic base.

Training availability starts in high school with the Advanced Technology Academy and extends through graduate work. Central New Mexico Community College's Manufacturing Technology program, developed with industry input, is well established, and the University of New Mexico's School of Engineering has degree programs in manufacturing engineering, with a semiconductor and electronics track.

Industry Leaders

Since 1980, Intel in Rio Rancho has expanded three times. Its semiconductor manufacturing operation is now the largest of its kind in the world. Small and medium-size companies do well here as well. Bi Ra Systems Inc., founded in 1972, is a family-owned designer of electronic lab equipment. Affordable land and low interest rates made it possible for the company to buy a building and expand.

Check out the "2010 Flying 40 Awards" for a current list of "gazelle" companies based in the Metro New Mexico region.

Electronics Top Employers

Albuquerque

• Applied Technology Associates - Precision sensing, measurement and controls
• Bi Ra Systems, Inc. - Research, development, manufacture and resale of electronic equipment for laboratories
• CTS Wireless Components - Division of CTS Corp; ceramic filters and duplexers; components used in cellular, paging, cordless and wireless applications
• Delta Group Electronics - Full scope EMS provider.
• Electro Mechanical Services, Inc - Clean room design and build, semiconductor manufacturing training devices
• Electronic Technical Services, Inc - Contract electronics engineering and manufacturing; maker of security systems
• Emcore - Solar power and digital products
• GE Intelligent Platforms- Software, control systems and embedded systems.  
• IEC Electronics (acquired electronics division)
• InnovASIC, Inc - Semiconductor fabrication and replacement of discontinued integrated circuits.
• Ktech Corp. - Technical services, industrial equipment manufacturing, gauges and sensors, IT products, and semiconductor cleaning equipment
• Mechanical Solutions, Inc - Full service turnkey engineering and manufacturing firm
• MPC Design Technologies, Inc - Custom design and manufacturer of printed circuit boards
• Radiant Technologies, Inc. - Thin ferroelectric film technologies and products; engineering services for the semiconductor, materials science, electronic, and optics industries
• Sennheiser Electronic New Mexico LLC - Printed circuit boards for headphones and microphones; wireless headphone system; digital wireless microphone system
• Sumco USA - (Formerly Sumitomo Sitix Silicon Inc.) Silicon wafers for customers in the United States, Europe, Asia and Japan.
• TPL Inc - Advanced Technologies Division; development of advanced dielectric materials for high-performance capacitors
• Team Specialty Products Corp. - Develops, fabricates and tests electronic products
• Xilinx Inc - Designs and develops logic chips and field programmable gate array chips

Rio Rancho

• Intel Corp. - Manufacturer of Pentium Celeron, flash memory and Itanium chips
• Lectrosonics Inc - High-end electronic design

Santa Fe

• STAR Cryoelectronics - Develops and manufactures Superconducting Quantum Interference Device sensors and PC-based control electronics products

Resources

• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (New Mexico Chapter)
• National Electronics Contractors Association (New Mexico Chapter)
• NM High Tech Jobs - Sponsored by Technology Ventures Corporation, this free job-matching service supports New Mexico's technology-based job growth.
• Technology Industries Association of New Mexico
• UNM's Center for High Technology Materials - Has a national reputation for its work in optoelectronics and microelectronics.

Education and Job Training

• Central NM Community College - Electronics Technology
• UNM's Manufacturing Training and Technology Center - Trains both UNM students and technicians from Central New Mexico Community College. Its clean room, with equipment donated by Intel, provides space to prototype devices for startup companies like Agiloptics, MEMX, and Radiant Technologies.