South Portland, Maine - September 6, 2001 -- Fairchild Semiconductor International (NYSE: FCS) today announced the acquisition of Impala Linear Corporation, based in San Jose, California. Impala designs analog power management semiconductors for a wide range of hand-held devices including laptops, MP3 players, cell phones, portable test equipment and PDA's.
Impala Linear was acquired for approximately $6 million in stock and cash. Its 2000 revenues were approximately $12 million. This acquisition brings power analog design skills; products that add strength in the consumer, computing, industrial and communications markets; and intellectual property that leverages proprietary CMOS process technology to enhance the performance of very small footprint ICs critical to portable applications.
"Fairchild continues to build leadership position in power solutions for multiple markets," said Kirk Pond, Fairchild's president, CEO and chairman. "We're the #1 supplier of broadbased power components in the world, according to data from Gartner and Venture Development Corporation. Impala Linear's power analog products will afford new sales opportunities across the breadth of the electronics industry and augment our considerable strength in providing solutions for wireless applications."
"Fairchild's overall power discretes and power analog worldwide market share grew from 6.4% to 8.1% in the most recent quarter. We continue to outperform the industry, largely due to our focus on power applications and our sales penetration into multiple end markets," Pond said. "Providing an enhanced portfolio of electronics for wireless applications represent a sizable opportunity for Fairchild. We'll continue to implement strategies to ensure we are poised to grow market share even further."
"We're pleased to become part of Fairchild Semiconductor, a recognized industry powerhouse for analog power solutions," said Manohar Malwah, chairman and chief technology officer of Impala Linear. "Our demonstrated success in handheld devices, combined with Fairchild's global strength in semiconductors for wireless products, makes this a natural fit."
Impala, which was founded in 1995, will be integrated into Fairchild's Analog and Mixed Signal Group.