Intel To Halt Manufacturing In Hudson

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Computer chip maker Intel will end its manufacturing operations in Hudson by the end of next year, a move that will result in the loss of about 700 jobs, the company said yesterday.

The Hudson plant, a former Digital Equipment Corp. facility, employs about 1,600, making it the town's largest employer, according to Christopher Sandini, interim executive assistant at Town Hall.

The rest of the employees and operations will remain, according to Ann Hurd, a Hudson spokeswoman for Intel. The non-manufacturing operations include the design center and development labs, she said.

Intel is based in Santa Clara, Calif. It has long been the world's leading semiconductor maker.

Hurd said the Hudson facility opened in the 1990s with what was then state-of-the-art semiconductor manufacturing processes, but needed more space, something that couldn't be done in Hudson. The plant "was always on the small side for Intel," she said, with little available land to expand.

Hurd said the company informed town officials and area legislators of its plans earlier this week.

Sandini said Intel has been an “invaluable” presence in town, and has been generous over the years, providing computer equipment to the public schools and Town Hall, and assisting town departments in other ways. He said the announcement was not a total surprise. According to Sandini, town officials have visited the plant a number of times and it was clear the quarters were cramped.

Asked whether Intel has approached the town about expanding, Sandini said it had not. He said Hudson would have accommodated expansion plans, and has provided infrastructure updates to support plant operations in the past. Intel also has an active tax increment finance deal (TIF) and has fulfilled TIF obligations, according to Sandini.

“I mean, we have always worked well with Intel. We have expedited permitting; we try to be business-friendly,” Sandini said.

For displaced workers, the state and town will work together to help them find new employment, according to Sandini, but it's too early to speculate on their prospects, he said.

As for the affected workers, Intel has already begun a program to assist them in finding other work, either within the company or elsewhere. "We will support them with any decision they make," she said.

"It's a sad day," she added, "but we have a very resilient bunch" at the Hudson plant.