SAC Ceases Operations

SAN JOSE, Calif. (Jan. 31, 2005) – The Fabless Semiconductor Association (FSA), the voice of the global fabless business model, announces that it will merge the non-monetary assets of the Semiconductor Assembly Council (SAC). SAC officially reached a decision to cease Council operations effective December 31, 2004.

"We acknowledge the contribution that SAC has made to drive continual improvements throughout the semiconductor manufacturing supply chain," said Jodi Shelton, co-founder and executive director of the FSA. "We wanted to leverage the vision that SAC began, especially since many existing FSA members were also members of SAC, and also because of the Association's support of supply chain back-end issues."

While the FSA will continue to acknowledge all current SAC certifications, it has no plans at this time to provide standards and certification services.

"Since its inception in 1991, SAC brought semiconductor manufacturers, subcontractors, end users, materials and service providers together to certify subcontract quality systems and process control practices," said Rick Adams, chairman of SAC. "Over the past several years it had become apparent that the ability to sustain the Council's longevity would be particularly challenging, resulting in the decision to cease operations. It is beneficial for the FSA to merge the non-monetary assets of SAC, as the Association represents the entire supply chain and continues to grow and play an important role in the semiconductor industry."

The FSA has collaborated with SAC in the past to address and keep FSA members informed on lead-free and green environmental issues. These resources are available to FSA members at www.fsa.org.

The FSA plans active communication with SAC members during this transition.