The MEMS & Sensors Industry Group, which was founded 15 years ago as the MEMS sectors' industry body, will become a "strategic association partner" of SEMI. The announcement was made at the SEMI's European MEMS Summit in Stuttgart, Germany by Denny McGuirk, president and CEO of SEMI.

SEMI is an older and much broader industry association that represents the interests of semiconductor equipment and materials companies. SEMI has been looking to diversify its interests and membership in recent years.

McGuirk was joined on the stage by Karen Lightman, executive director of MSIG. Lightman said that combining MSIG with SEMI would bring more value to members and impact along the global supply chain for the MEMS sector.

An immediate impact is that it will result with MSIG membership being consolidated with that of SEMI saving some companies from paying membership fees to both organisations.

Lightman said MSIG, with its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, would continue to operate as it has done, but coordinated under SEMI. This may mean that MSIG will provide MEMS conference tracks to larger SEMI events but would continue to organise stand-alone conferences.

In practical terms, all MSIG members in good standing will become SEMI members on January 1, 2017. Lightman commented, "MSIG members will benefit from this relationship with increased access to global resources and service offerings, the expertise of a complementary industry and fast-track entry to worldwide programmes."

McGuirk said that the global economies of scale that SEMI brings would provide MSIG and the MEMS players it supports with the opportunity to do more events around the world.

In Europe that will likely mean the conferences organised by the two bodies – by MSIG in the spring and by SEMI in the fall will become one in 2017. Lightman said besides conference organisation MSIG performs valuable work on standards and strategic thinking about MEMS and that would continue and be boosted by the partnership with SEMI.

By: DocMemory
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