Texas Instruments intends to close a manufacturing plant in Greenock, Scotland, and move some of that work to Maine, the company said Wednesday.

However, the global semiconductor producer, which employs about 540 workers in South Portland, said it does not plan to create additional jobs at the facility.

The company said in a written statement that it could take up to three years to complete the transition, adding that it would not cut any jobs at the Scottish plant sooner than late 2017.

“We are just at the proposal stage, and ending manufacturing operations is a lengthy process,” it said. “If the plant closes, we expect it to take our Greenock employees as long as three years to transfer production to our other sites in Freising, Germany, Aizu, Japan and S. Portland, Maine.”

The Dallas-based company said its operations in Maine, Germany and Japan are more cost-efficient than the one in Scotland, and that the planned closure was not a reflection of the performance or commitment of the Scottish facility’s 365 workers.

Texas Instruments spokeswoman Whitney Jodry initially said in an email that it is too early in the process to specify how many jobs would be added in South Portland, but she later specified that no jobs would be added.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.