EV Group (EVG), a leading supplier of wafer-bonding and lithography equipment for the advanced packaging, 3D interconnect, MEMS, SOI (silicon-on-insulator), nanotechnology, compound semiconductor and silicon-based power devices markets, announced that it achieved record financial results for fiscal 2007, ended September 30. The company realized a 30-percent overall increase in both revenue and order intake compared to fiscal 2006 -- making 2007 its most successful year to date in its two decade-plus history, and serving as further evidence of EVG's leadership in successfully delivering high-volume manufacturing solutions to its global customer base.
Follow-on orders in high-volume manufacturing applications -- a fast-growing segment of EVG's business -- were a primary driver behind the 30-percent boost in orders. Another significant factor was new technologies, with advanced packaging applications, including thin-wafer handling and 3D interconnect, leading the surge. This market is of key significance to EVG's technology portfolio; in 2006, the company co-founded the EMC-3D Consortium to create and help drive implementation of a cost-effective through-silicon via (TSV) process for chip stacking and packaging of MEMS/sensors. The company also saw an overall increase in business for its coater, aligner and bonder solutions.
Commenting on the company's record performance, EV Group Founder and Chief Executive Officer Erich Thallner noted, "With these results, we have not only bested our own long-term targets, but we're also on track to outperform the semiconductor and related industry markets. To ensure our ability to help our customers achieve sustainable growth, we've implemented a number of crucial steps. During fiscal 2007, EVG strengthened its global headcount by 15 percent, bringing our total number of employees to more than 400. We also doubled our worldwide cleanroom capacity to enhance our process development and demonstration capabilities (up to Class 10), and expanded the manufacturing area at our corporate headquarters by 25 percent. Additionally, as a total solution supplier, we furthered our goal of serving as a single source for customers' wafer-processing needs by offering complementary products from our strategic partners. Together, these moves position us to continue satisfying customer requirements going forward, whether for next-generation process development or advanced production capabilities."
Indicative of the EVG's customer-centric focus, this announcement closely follows the company's fifth consecutive selection as one of the industry's 10 BEST small suppliers of wafer-processing equipment in the annual customer-satisfaction survey conducted by San Jose, Calif.-based VLSI Research Inc. The company was ranked particularly high for quality of results and for its commitment to supporting customers' needs.
