Fremont-based electronics maker Intarsia Corp. plans to open a 3,000-square-foot wireless networking design center in Orange and hire about a dozen engineers locally.
The new facility is expected to begin operating in September, according to James Young, an executive vice president for Intarsia. The company makes semiconductors and other electronics used in wireless phones, electronic organizers and other devices.
Intarsia plans to hire 12 to 14 people for the design center. A regional manager, Deepak Kulkarni, has been brought down from Fremont. Two other employees already have been brought on, Young said. The center is expected to house a couple of salespeople.
Intarsia picked OC as a way of tapping local talent, Young said. The company didn’t look anywhere else for the center, he said. “There is a lot of wireless design activity going on in Southern California, and there are a lot of skilled and talented people down there,” he said.
Intarsia sells its products to wireless phone suppliers and semiconductor makers. From OC, the company plans to target companies like Newport Beach-based Conexant Systems Inc. and San Diego’s Qualcomm Inc. Young said. The company also hopes to provide support to existing local customers.
Intarsia was formed in 1997 and grew out of a venture between Dow Chemical Co. and contract electronics manufacturer Flextronics International Ltd. of Singapore. n
