BANGALORE – Cookson Electronics will open a state-of-the-art research center here later this month. The 32,000 sq. ft. facility will aid semiconductor and alternative energy research, and help boost Asian sales, which currently make up 60% of the company's assembly materials business.

The center, which opens Oct. 23, will focus on semiconductor manufacturing and packaging materials, and renewable energy, including solar technologies, said Dr. Bawa Singh, vice president of technology and chief technology officer. "We are building a strong foundation in nano-technology-based materials that will allow our customers to achieve paradigm shifts in their product performance.”

The company's original center is on the Indian Institute of Science campus in Bangalore. The company has outgrown that site.

“Several years ago our company made a strategic decision to establish an R&D center in Bangalore and develop a close relationship with the Indian Institute of Science," said president and chief executive Steve Corbett in a statement. The new center is "extremely important to our continued growth in Asia."

Currently, 60% of Cookson's assembly materials business is derived from the Asia Pacific.

"It is critical in our business that our research and development be close to our customers so we can respond quickly to new product development opportunities,” Corbett said.