Power behind the power industry

As with numerous other industries worldwide, the power industry suffered from a notable market slowdown last year. Leading global supplier of ultrapure silicon to the power components industry, Copenhagen-based Topsil Semiconductor Materials A/S, however, is looking optimistically at the future. Emma-Jane Batey spoke to the executive vice-president, Jorgen Bodker, to find out more.

Topsil Semiconductor Materials A/S is a dedicated supplier of float zone silicon wafers to the power components industry worldwide, with state-ofthe-art production facilities in Denmark and Poland and sales offices worldwide. Focused on meeting the very exacting demands of the global electronics industry, Topsil has built its reputation for highquality, reliable products on a commitment to listening to customers’ needs.

Vice-president Jorgen Bodker told Industry Europe how Topsil’s dedication to reliable performance, both in its products and its service, continues to deserve this reputation. He said, “Topsil has always been focused on providing reliable, efficient and effective silicon wafers to the power components industry, which is a wide-reaching market that includes the power industry as well as white goods manufacture. By continuously working on new products, enhancing existing products and listening closely to our customers and what they require, we have been able to maintain our market-leading position.”

Premium quality silicon solutions

As a world-leading supplier of ultrapure silicon to the global semiconductor industry, Topsil is fully reliant on maintaining and utilising its technologically advanced production facilities. The company has three sites, including its latest which opened in the

Copenhagen Cleantech Park, just north of Copenhagen in October 2012. Mr Bodker explained, “The upgrade of our facilities in both Denmark and Poland has been largely driven by our desire to manufacture 200mm diameter float zone products. The products are made with advanced technology, specifically related to silicon wafers. There’s a great deal of regulation connected to this development, so our investment in our upgraded facilities means that we are guaranteed to meet these strict regulations.”

The first, most technologically advanced phase of the design, development and manufacture of these 200mm diameter products is conducted at Topsil’s Copenhagen site, with some elements of the post treatment of the ingots completed in Poland, with consistently high-quality assurance throughout the process.

The underlying mission for Topsil is to enable its customers to manufacture advanced, energy-efficient power components, which cross over industry segments such as power generation, white goods manufacture and electric and hybrid vehicle production. Mr Bodker said, “We are certainly solutions-focused. We achieve this cross-segment presence by ensuring that our silicon solutions are of the highest quality and are suited to a variety of applications. By staying in close contact with our customers we can guarantee that our new product development and our existing portfolio are tightly matched to the production demands of our customers.”

One step ahead

New product development is at the heart of Topsil’s continued success in staying one step ahead of its global customers’ needs. Mr Bodker explained, “We are in the process of completing a $50million investment programme, which includes the upgrading of our production facilities and also incorporates an intense focus on new product development. This comprises new 200mm diameter products that are approaching market introduction. We are also looking closely at our involvement with white goods production, particularly in Asia, and the electric and hybrid vehicle industry. As white goods are incorporating more intelligent, energy-efficient components, our semiconductor materials are in increasing demand, and the growing electric vehicle market is full of really exciting opportunities for us. In fact, any segment where there is a conversion process of inverting energy can benefit from Topsil’s experience.”

Even though Topsil is justifiably proud of its market-leading position, the company is keen to extend this lead and gain increased market share in new markets, both in terms of location and applications. Mr Bodker added, “We work with a number of globally acting blue chip customers,

such as Infineon, Toshiba and Mitsubishi, and we intend to expand organically in the coming years.”

Ready for growth

Topsil expects to see a 5 –10 per cent growth across its active segments in the coming years, with infrastructure projects in emerging markets a key marker for growth. Mr Bodker pointed out that the current uncertainty in the global market is unlikely to impact on Topsil as its activity in the sector is focused on the rapidly expanding electric vehicles market.

With such impressive growth figures on target to be achieved and a brand new, state-of-the-art facility available, Topsil’s coming years are set for success. Mr Bodker concluded, “We are present in a number of sectors, which gives us a solid footing without being dependent on any one industry. Our ongoing investment programme is also being smartly utilised to give us continued strength in the future, with our product portfolio closely in tune with our customers’ demands and the increasingly impressive capabilities of our products themselves. We see great opportunities for our products in various industries where energy is inverted, so Topsil is certainly looking forward to 2013 and beyond.” n