[By NBC-1TV H. J Yook] Isola Group S.a.r.l., a market leader in laminate materials used to fabricate advanced multi-layer printed circuit boards, announced today the site expansion of its Suzhou, China manufacturing facility. The substantial upgrade includes two additional hot oil presses, semi-automatic layup lines and an additional cleanroom. As part of the company's commitment to continuous quality improvement, these upgrades will increase capacity of its high-performance laminate materials by 70,000 sheets per month, significantly reduce lead-times and enhance quick turnaround capability. The project will be completed in September.

The Suzhou manufacturing facility is one of five manufacturing facilities that the company operates in Asia. The facility opened in 1997 and currently employs 279 highly skilled workers. This facility utilizes Isola's advanced Six Sigma and 5s tools and strategies to improve the quality of its process outputs by identifying causes of defects and minimizing variability in manufacturing and business practices. The Suzhou facility is certified OHSAS 18001, ISO 14001:2004 and ISO 9001:2008 and expects to receive ISO/TS 16949:2009 certification in October 2013.

This investment will enable Isola to provide its high-speed digital materials within one to three-days for critical qualification samples and ramp-to-volume production orders. According to Matt LaRont, President of Isola Asia, “The expansion of the Suzhou plant will provide faster lead times on our high-speed digital materials, such as FR408HR and I-Speed®. This gives printed circuit board manufacturers in North China a competitive advantage through shortened delivery times to accelerate new product qualifications for their OEM customers. We understand that increased flexibility and speed to market is essential to win new business. Isola is pleased to enable our customers' success.”