logo
Microchip Tempe plant to close soon, with more than 300 layoffs expected. What we know

Microchip Tempe plant to close soon, with more than 300 layoffs expected. What we know

Yahoo06-03-2025
Microchip Technology Inc. will close its Tempe semiconductor wafer manufacturing facility in May, the company announced in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
The Chandler-based company had announced plans to close the facility in December but said in a March filing that the closure will be several months earlier than previously expected. The facility, located at 1200 S. 52nd Street in Tempe, and equipment from the plant are available for sale. The company did not specify why the closure was accelerated.
According to an investor presentation in February, the company's revenue for the quarter was about $1.03 billion, a decline of nearly 12% quarter-over-quarter and nearly 42% year-over-year. Net debt increased by $33.6 million, but over the past 26 quarters, the company cumulatively paid down $6 billion in debt.
According to the presentation, the company saw $7.6 billion in fiscal year 2024 net sales.
Microchip filed a notice with the state of Arizona on March 3 announcing intent to lay off 330 people from the Tempe facility. When the company announced the closure in December, the plant was not planned to close until September.
The closure of the plant will save the company about $90 million annually, company officials said in the filing.
In addition to shuttering the Tempe facility, the company is reducing its workforce nationally and internationally. The company plans to lay off a total of 2,000 workers, including workers at facilities in Oregon, Colorado and the Philippines.
Microchip plans to notify the employees in March and fully implement the layoffs by June.
Microchip was the 74th-largest nongovernmental employer in Arizona in 2024, according to the Republic 100 list of largest businesses. According to the data, Microchip employed 2,333 people in 2024 in Arizona.
Reach Corina Vanek at cvanek@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @CorinaVanek.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Microchip to close Arizona facility in May, lay off more than 300
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

This is the rare bright spot in a tough Hollywood job market
This is the rare bright spot in a tough Hollywood job market

Los Angeles Times

timean hour ago

  • Los Angeles Times

This is the rare bright spot in a tough Hollywood job market

Toni Gray's phone is blowing up these days. The head of production at Dhar Mann Studios, which makes shows for YouTube and other online platforms, said entertainment industry friends in Los Angeles had once held out before seeking work in the digital realm. But now, with jobs few and far between at the legacy studios, they are reaching out 'all the time' looking for opportunities at the Burbank-based studio, known for posting family-friendly dramas addressing topics like bullying. Seeing some of her peers now flock to be a part of production companies built for distribution on YouTube and other online platforms is exciting for Gray, who worked in traditional television for more than a decade and joined Dhar Mann Studios in February. 'It's giving people hope that they can get back to work again,' she said. 'And it's not just monetary hope for their house and their kids. It actually is giving their own being life again to bring their creative element.' In Hollywood's TV and film industries, droves of workers are competing for jobs at a time when many companies are consolidating and laying off hundreds of people at a time. But one segment of the entertainment industry has emerged as a bright spot — the economy made up of people creating video for YouTube and social media. That part of the industry, once dominated by amateurs making funny viral videos with smartphones has blossomed into a formidable entertainment force, where video creators are setting up real businesses with large studios in Southern California funded through advertising by major brands. Dhar Mann Studios plans to add 15 positions to its staff of about 75 full-time employees. In Sherman Oaks, Pave Studios, which produces wellness- and true-crime-related shows, is adding 16 full-time workers to its staff of 67 contractors and employees. Nationwide, there were more than 490,000 jobs supported by YouTube's creative ecosystem last year, according to the Google-owned video platform, citing data from Oxford Economics. That's roughly 60,000 more jobs than in 2023, YouTube said. 'It's beginning to mature into creators really building businesses,' said Thomas Kim, YouTube's director of product management for creator monetization. 'We see more and more of that, and that also means that the number of employees and help that they need to sustain their business has grown over time.' Sean Atkins, chief executive of Dhar Mann Studios, called it a big growth opportunity in the market. YouTube is a major player in streaming, representing 12.5% of U.S. TV viewing in May, according to Nielsen, more than streaming services including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. 'Everything is so new and nascent,' said Atkins, a former president at MTV. 'I imagine, particularly when you walk around our studio ... that this is what it looked like in the '20s when MGM and Disney and Warner [Bros.] were [founded]. Just this enthusiastic chaos where everyone's trying to figure out what this environment is.' The growth in Southern California influencer businesses is a boon to the local production economy that is otherwise struggling. L.A. County saw a 27% decline to 108,564 employees from 2022 to 2024 in the motion picture and sound recording industries, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many Hollywood workers have struggled to find roles, as studios cut down on their programming after the 2023 actor and writer strikes and after overspending during the streaming wars. For years, productions have fled the area to take advantage of lucrative financial incentives out of state and abroad. Production in L.A. County also took a hit following devastating wildfires in January. Meanwhile, the amount of employment in the creator economy is trending up, according to the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. Total workers in the L.A. County creator economy, composed of businesses such as media streaming distribution services and social networks, as well as independent artists, writers and performers, increased 5% to 70,012 from 2022 to 2024, LAEDC said. Companies in the creator economy space also increased 5% to 46,425 businesses during the same time period, according to LAEDC. The bleak job market has caused more people who have worked in traditional studio and TV networks to apply for jobs at digital media companies that produce content for platforms such as YouTube or work with influencers who are growing their staffs. The migration reflects changing realities in the business. Consumers' habits have shifted, where more people are watching YouTube on TV screens these days instead of on smartphones in the U.S., eating into territory held by broadcast and cable television. Video creators have adapted, building production teams and expanding into podcasts, merchandise and sometimes scoring streaming deals. For example, one of YouTube's top creators, Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast, has a reality competition show on Amazon Prime Video, sells products such as Feastables chocolates and has brand partnerships and sponsorships. His North Carolina holding company, Beast Industries, employs more than 500 people. Kyle Hjelmeseth, chief executive of talent representation firm G&B Digital Management, said he is receiving more calls from people coming with traditional media backgrounds seeking collaborations with influencers. 'Five years ago, it would have been very different,' he said. 'Anytime that somebody from Hollywood or the entertainment complex talked about creators, it was with such a different lens ... a little bit like nose in the air.' His company, which has 25 contractors, part-time and full time employees, added four people last month with plans to hire more. 'All the pressures of what's happening in Hollywood and the growth of the creator economy [are] crashing into each other in this moment, and that's why we're having a conversation about jobs, because there's such a shift in the energy, and we're certainly feeling it,' he said. Pave Studios launched last year with fewer than 10 employees and now has grown to 67 contractors and employees. Part of that growth is fueled by the increasing audience for its videos and podcasts available on platforms including YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. The company is hiring for roles including executive producers, with a pay range of $95,000 to $145,000, depending on the show, said founder Max Cutler. 'As we grow and as the business becomes more complicated, you need more specialists and more people,' Cutler said. 'Video is definitely a leading growth area for us.' Jen Passovoy joined Pave Studios in January as a producer, after working for 10 years at Paramount on competition series such as 'RuPaul's Drag Race' and 'Ink Master.' 'Coming from a traditional TV background, I was drawn to how nimble and audience-focused the company is,' Passovoy said in an email. 'There's less red tape and more room to actually create. You get the energy of a startup with the same high-quality content you'd expect from a major studio.' Passovoy, 34, said the job market for traditional studio and TV network workers is really tough right now. 'I know more people out of work right now than working, which says a lot,' she said. 'The traditional TV model just doesn't exist in the same way anymore. Budgets are shrinking and the jobs that used to be steady aren't there. There have been so many layoffs across the industry, and it's forced a lot of incredibly talented people to rethink how and where they create.' Skills that people develop in traditional studio and TV roles can translate to digital-first roles, including video editors for influencers and digital media companies, industry observers said. The creator economy also has more specialized roles, such as thumbnail designers — people who create the images used to tease videos on sites including YouTube. Those jobs can pay six figures annually, as they can be instrumental for getting audiences to click on those videos. Roster, a hiring platform that lists job postings in the creator space, said the number of employers signing up to hire on the site has increased by nearly 80% from January to June 2025. Based on a sampling of 1,430 creator job posts in 2025, Roster said the most popular open position was video editor (representing 42.5%), followed by thumbnail designer (16.1%) and producer (10.6%). There are downsides. Not all jobs are full-time. Many creators opt to hire freelancers. 'Their production needs need to expand and shrink like an accordion,' said Sherry Wong, CEO of Roster. 'That's why we see a lot of creators, even if they're really big established creators, they are hiring freelancers, contractors, and being able to keep it as lean as possible.' With so many people looking for work, there's intense competition for those jobs, and the ways to apply can be creative and involved. Miami-based creator Jenny Hoyos found freelancers through a hiring challenge she hosted on Roster. Applicants were given 10 minutes of raw video footage and instructed to edit it down to a video short, roughly 30 to 60 seconds long. Hoyos, 20, requested that applicants create a final product that was engaging, cohesive and matched her specific style. She received more than 100 submissions. While there were strong contenders from California, the winners ended up being from Brazil and India. They became her two go-to freelancers, who she said are essentially working an amount equivalent to full-time editors. This method of seeking talent was Hoyos' way of making sure the people she brought on to her team were willing to go the extra mile, she said. Those hoping to break into the digital media world don't necessarily have to have grown up with YouTube and social media like she did, but they do have to 'commit to being addicted to watching' content, she said. Not everyone who works for YouTube creators gets paid. Screenwriter Natalie Badillo isn't earning a salary while she tries to build up an audience on YouTube. Badillo, who sold a self-titled project to HBO Max a few years ago, said she was looking for a way to 'not wait 8 billion years for a TV show to get picked up,' and creating a YouTube channel, 'Great Job Nat,' was a way to get her material out into the world. 'Why wait for somebody to throw you a party when you can just throw your own party?' she said. Badillo draws on her connections with folks from the traditional film and TV world to produce the YouTube videos. While the channel is getting up and running, collaborators work for low pay or simply for the fun of it and to gain experience. Still, her ambitions are big. 'I want to be the Jon Stewart of the West,' she said. The pay disparities can be an issue for people from traditional media industries looking for jobs. While some programs featuring influencers and vertical excerpts of TV shows and movies are covered by union agreements, other projects don't have those protections. 'With temporary hiring, it's like everything else in Hollywood — you either need to have another job that balances things out or you need to get to a critical mass of enough work on enough different projects,' said Kevin Klowden, executive director at Milken Institute Finance. 'The number of sustainable Hollywood jobs has shrunk.' But as the two worlds collide, traditional media companies are already paying attention to the popularity of creator shows and are trying to find ways to partner with influencers. Amazon earlier this year announced more seasons of MrBeast's reality competition series 'Beast Games,' and digital media companies are adding people with traditional media backgrounds to their staffs. 'It's still a lot more tiptoeing,' Hjelmeseth said. 'Everybody's kind of like looking at each other from across the room, like, 'Should we dance?''

Here's the stock-market playbook for the August 1 tariff deadline
Here's the stock-market playbook for the August 1 tariff deadline

Business Insider

timean hour ago

  • Business Insider

Here's the stock-market playbook for the August 1 tariff deadline

Investors waited anxiously for the July 9 tariff deadline only to be met with a new date of August 1, and while the window for negotiations has been pushed out, tariffs are likely still coming. President Donald Trump committed to the new date this week, stating that no new extensions would be granted. His updates included a barrage of tariff letters to more than 20 countries, with threats of 25% tariffs on Japan and South Korea, 50% on Brazil, and 35% on Canada. Even as investors hope that the TACO trade will save them again, market pros told Business Insider this week that there are ways to position for the coming deadline. Here's what they're bullish and bearish on as the market barrels toward the August 1 "T-Day." Bullish Tariffs are aimed at benefiting companies that manufacture in the US. While it's not certain to what extent factory jobs will return, there are some existing domestic industries with positive exposure to the trade war. Trump's 50% tariff on all copper imports announced this week, for instance, should point investors toward some specific areas of the market. Henry Yoshida, CEO of Rocket Dollar, told Business Insider that he sees positive tailwinds for US copper producers, specifically Freeport-McMoRan and Souther Copper Corporation, two companies recently named by Morgan Stanley as likely winners. "These companies, which specialize in copper, would benefit from increased pricing power as tariffs would make copper imports more expensive," he stated. Apart from Copper, Yoshida added that he sees growth ahead for tech companies that build semiconductors in the US. That industry is also set to benefit from the recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which includes a valuable tax credit for chipmakers. "Chipmakers that predominantly have US-based manufacturing, such as Texas Instruments and Intel, could see upside gains as tariffs may shift demand to domestic suppliers." Julia Khandoshko, CEO of financial planning firm Mind Money, issued a similar perspective. "In the short term," she said, "semiconductor companies like Intel and Nvidia could come out ahead, since the US will likely push harder for domestic chip production." Bearish Mark Malek, Chief Investment Officer at Siebert Financial, recently said that while much remains uncertain about tariffs, some sectors are particularly exposed to risks from the trade war. "From a sector perspective, the most exposed are Consumer Discretionary and Technology, which are sectors deeply reliant on global manufacturing. Further downstream, mass retailers, which depend heavily on low-cost imports, face pricing challenges and potential margin compression." Other experts see high exposure to China as dangerous for companies, particularly as the top US trade partner has promised to retaliate if Trump takes further action against it. From Yoshida's perspective, scaling back on big tech investments makes the most sense. However, he took a different stance on Nvidia than Khandoshko, citing its high exposure to the Chinese supply chain. Along with Apple and Qualcomm, he named Nvidia as a stock investors should consider selling before August 1. He added, though, that he also sees both Tesla and General Motors as being highly vulnerable to the tariff impact, signaling a potential blow to the broader auto market. "GM sells more cars in China than in the US, and both companies rely heavily on China-based production facilities and parts sourcing," he stated. "In retail, Nike faces particular vulnerability, with over 40% of its manufacturing occurring in China." Tom Bruni, Editor-in-Chief and VP of Community of Stocktwits, expressed a similar take, highlighting the risk for companies with heavy dependence on global supply chains, specifically strong links to China. "Apple's heavy manufacturing presence in China, Tesla's reliance on Chinese battery cells/materials, and Walmart 's importing large volumes from affected countries are three of the most prominent examples of companies caught in the crosshairs," he said. Bruni added that in his view, Apple is the bellwether for how the rest of the market reacts to tariff-driven China trade disruptions. "[Apple] has by far the most manufacturing risk," he stated. "How leadership navigates these tariffs and the overall geopolitical environment will set the tone for the rest of the market."

Hire a WordPress Website Designer in New York to Grow Online Fast
Hire a WordPress Website Designer in New York to Grow Online Fast

Time Business News

time5 hours ago

  • Time Business News

Hire a WordPress Website Designer in New York to Grow Online Fast

Today, every business needs to be visible online to succeed. Whether you run a shop in Albany or offer services in Buffalo, your website is often the first thing customers see. That's why hiring a skilled WordPress Website Designer can make a huge difference. One of the greatest platforms for New York firms is WordPress. It's flexible, easy to update, and packed with features. But to get the most from it, you need a professional who knows how to design smart, fast, and user-friendly websites. With good reason, millions of websites worldwide are powered by WordPress. It's open-source, which means it's highly customizable and suitable for everything from personal blogs to business websites. Plus, it offers thousands of themes and plugins that make it easy to build exactly what you need. A professional WordPress website designer can help you take full advantage of this platform. They understand how to choose the right theme, use plugins wisely, and build a site that reflects your brand whether you're a small local business or a large company. Unlike general website developers, WordPress specialists focus only on one platform. This means they know all the ins and outs from improving speed and SEO to designing a site that works well on mobile devices. At Digi Era Pro LLC, our WordPress designers stay up-to-date with the latest trends, updates, and tools. In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, our websites are search engine optimized and simple for you to maintain. Working with a designer in your area can be a game-changer. If you're searching for web designers in my area, choosing a New York-based team means they understand the local business scene and customer behavior. Digi Era Pro LLC offers web design services to businesses across the entire state. From Rochester to Long Island, we help clients reach their audiences with websites that are customized to local needs and built for success. Good design is more than just pretty colors. It's about layout, readability, and building trust with your visitors. Our web graphic designers make sure every image, button, and section looks great and fits your brand. Design that connects with people leads to better results. With thoughtful visuals and an easy-to-use layout, customers are more likely to stay on your site, explore your services, and get in touch. Your website isn't just something you build and forget. It needs updates, maintenance, and improvements. That's where website development management comes in. We handle everything from plugin updates and backups to performance checks and bug fixes. At Digi Era Pro LLC, we make sure your site keeps running smoothly long after it goes live. This ongoing care helps your site stay secure, load quickly, and grow with your business. There are many companies that design websites, but not all offer the same level of service. The best firms go beyond design; they understand branding, strategy, and search engine optimization. We take time to learn about your goals, audience, and competitors before starting the design. This helps us build a website that not only looks great but also helps you stand out from others in your industry. You can have the best design in the world, but if people can't find you online, it won't matter. That's why you need an experienced SEO and website design company. SEO makes sure your site ranks well in Google and brings in organic traffic. We optimize your site structure, images, content, and load speed to boost visibility. With the right design and SEO, your website becomes a strong marketing tool that works around the clock. Your website is part of your brand. Professional graphic design firms know how to create a consistent look across your website, social media, and marketing materials. We help you develop a brand identity colors, fonts, images that matches your message and appeals to your target customers. Over time, this constancy fosters trust and recognition. Professional web designing is more than making a site that looks good. It's about creating a digital space that works well for both your business and your visitors. We build sites that are mobile-friendly, fast, and built to grow. With clear calls to action and simple navigation, our websites guide users smoothly from the homepage to contacting you or making a purchase. That's what a well-designed site should do. What separates top web design firms from the rest? It is meticulousness, excellent customer service, and continuous assistance. We take care of hosting, backups, security, and more so you don't have to worry. As one of the trusted website designers New York businesses rely on, we pride ourselves on being your long-term partner. Our goal is to help your business grow with a smart, effective online presence. Many businesses search for the top 10 website design companies, but what matters most is finding a team that understands your specific needs. We offer the same quality service as big firms but with a more personal, hands-on approach. Digi Era Pro LLC combines big-agency results with small-business attention. We're focused on helping local businesses across New York thrive online with beautifully designed, fully functional WordPress websites. Choosing the right WordPress Website Designer in New York is key to your online success. Your website is your business's front door. It should be welcoming, easy to use, and ready to convert visitors into customers. With Digi Era Pro LLC, you get a partner who understands both design and strategy. We create WordPress websites that are built to perform, look professional, and help you grow in the competitive New York market. They build, design, and customize websites using the WordPress platform. They also make sure your site is responsive, SEO-friendly, and secure. Yes. It's flexible, easy to manage, and ideal for businesses of all sizes. Many companies choose it for blogs, services, and online stores. A good firm listens to your goals, creates a custom plan, and supports you after launch. They combine design, development, and SEO in one package. Look for experience, reviews, and services that match your needs. Local companies like Digi Era Pro LLC can offer faster, more personalized support. Yes. Regular updates, backups, and performance checks help keep your site secure, fast, and ready for visitors. TIME BUSINESS NEWS

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store