SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 26 — Fairchild Semiconductor International Inc, one of the chip industry’s oldest companies, will close aging plants and cut as much as 15 per cent of its workforce as it shifts production to outside manufacturers.

Factories will be closed in West Jordan, Utah; Penang, Malaysia; and Bucheon, South Korea, the company said today in a statement. The closures may affect up to 15 per cent of Fairchild’s about 9,000 employees, spokesman Bruce Fienberg said. The total number of job cuts hasn’t been fixed, he said.

Like other chipmakers, Fairchild is paring internal production and instead making more use of foundries, such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co San Jose, California-based Fairchild, one of the pioneers of the chip industry in the 1950s, was eclipsed years ago by companies founded by former employees. The two most famous, Gordon Moore and Robert Noyce, built Intel Corp into the world’s largest semiconductor maker.

“An adaptive supply chain must be the foundation of any global manufacturer’s operations in the increasingly dynamic semiconductor solutions market,” Fairchild Chief Executive Officer Mark Thompson said in the statement.

Fairchild, a maker of power converters, amplifiers and switches used in cars and consumer electronics, estimated the plant closures will result in restructuring and other costs of about US$36 million (RM114 million). It also projected US$25 million in depreciation charges. In 2013, the company’s revenue was unchanged at US$1.41 billion following a 12 per cent decline in 2012.

The plant closures, which will take place from the second to fourth quarters of 2015, will bring annual savings of US$45 million to US$55 million. Operations at more advanced plants in South Portland, Maine; Mountain Top, Pennsylvania; and Bucheon will continue, the company said.

Fairchild shares fell less than 1 per cent to US$16.91 at the close in New York, leaving the stock up 27 per cent this year. — Bloomberg