Littelfuse acquires Elmos wafer fab for 93 million euros

Elmos recently announced that it has reached a final agreement to sell its wafer fab in Dortmund to Littelfuse.

Under the agreement, Littelfuse will acquire the Dortmund wafer fab and its technical team of approximately 225 employees. All other operations, including testing operations, will remain the responsibility of Elmos.

It is understood that as early as December 2021, Elmos signed a purchase agreement with Silex Microsystems AB, a Swedish MEMS foundry, to transfer the manufacturing activities of the Dortmund plant. However, the plan to sell the 200mm wafer fab was later blocked by the German Federal Cabinet.

Through the acquisition of the Dortmund wafer fab, Littelfuse strengthens its capabilities in power semiconductors, particularly for high-growth power conversion applications in renewable energy, energy storage, and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

“Today’s agreement is a milestone for semiconductor production in Dortmund, which will strengthen Germany’s position as a high-tech country. As a fabless company, Elmos will leverage advanced technologies even more to achieve groundbreaking innovations in the field of mixed-signal semiconductors. Elmos has already become a global market leader in certain applications in the automotive industry. We aim to leverage this strong position to shape our future growth,” said Dr. Arne Schneider, CEO of Elmos Semiconductor, in a press release.

Littelfuse currently operates in over 20 countries/regions and has approximately 18,000 employees worldwide. In Germany, Littelfuse operates multiple manufacturing, sales, and research and development facilities.

The completion of the transaction is expected to take effect on December 31, 2024, subject to certain closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

If the acquisition proceeds successfully and receives regulatory approval, the buyer will pay approximately 37 million euros (approximately 293 million RMB) upon approval by the regulatory authorities. The remaining portion of the purchase price will be paid upon the completion of the transaction. The transaction is not expected to have a significant impact on the pre-tax profits for the fiscal year 2023. Elmos will retain full operational control of the wafer fab until the completion of the transaction.

Furthermore, Elmos and Littelfuse have agreed to a specific long-term capacity sharing arrangement, with an initial term extending until 2029, where Elmos will purchase a certain quantity of wafers produced by the wafer fab.