Cree signs expansion agreement in Huizhou

HUIZHOU, CHINA: Cree Inc., a market leader in LED lighting, announced an agreement to purchase a 592,000-square-foot facility in Huizhou, Guangdong Province, China.

The facility will be Cree’s first chip-production facility outside of North America and is targeted to also house future components manufacturing expansion.

“This investment enables us to expand our presence in China and demonstrates our commitment to serving the growing demands of both our local and global LED customers,” said Chuck Swoboda, Cree chairman and CEO. “We are building on a solid foundation in Huizhou with a strong local management team and a history of manufacturing excellence. We look forward to continued success in China as we drive the LED lighting revolution.”

More than half of Cree’s employees work in China, mostly at the current Huizhou factory. Cree recognizes the support of Party Secretary YeBin Huang and Mayor RuQiu Li during the site selection process.

“We are very excited to have Cree’s investment in our city. Solid state lighting is a key strategic green industry for China. From the government’s perspective, we will do our best to support Cree through government projects as well as government policies. We believe this investment will be a win-win project for Cree and China’s SSL industry,” said YeBin Huang, Huizhou’s Party Secretary.

Cree also announced that Huizhou is joining the Cree LED City program, an international initiative aimed at promoting the deployment of energy-efficient LED lighting. Huizhou has completed several LED streetlight trials and is in the process of deploying LED streetlights in the ZhongKai Hightech Industrial Zone.

“We are very proud to be the first city in southern China to join the Cree LED City program. Energy saving and emission reduction are our city’s priorities for sustainable development; we will continue to drive the adoption of the SSL products through government initiatives,” said Huizhou Mayor RuQiu Li.