When cellular phone semiconductor designer and manufacturer Solomon Systech Limited (SSL) completes the move to the Hong Kong Science Park in October, it will become a driving force in the Science Park's aspiration to establish Hong Kong as Asia’s innovation technology hub.

A subsidiary of Taiwan-based Solomon Technology Corporations, SSL will join a world-class technology cluster environment designed to encourage collaboration between high-technology suppliers, customers, business partners and service providers. SSL will occupy 32,300 square feet (3,000 square metres) for its headquarters and research and development (R&D) operations.

SSL’s president and managing director Humphrey Leung Kwong-wai said: “Hong Kong is an excellent position for Solomon Systech to recruit and retain high-calibre talent from both the local market and the mainland. Moving into the Science Park is an important cornerstone of our goal to becoming a world-class supplier in the display and wireless market.”

Two years ago SSL set up a technology centre in Shenzhen and plans to continue expanding the business, investment and technical involvement in the Greater China area. To provide better service to its customers and control costs the company outsources its production processes to companies in the mainland but maintains a tight hold over quality control and marketing through supply chain systems and dedicated in-house automatic testing equipment based in Hong Kong

Since SSL was established in 1999 more than 26 million integrated circuit (IC) units have been shipped to clients in the US, Korea, Japan and the Asia-Pacific region, representing 6.8 per cent of the worldwide market share. US technology giant Motorola is one of SSL’s biggest clients.

Mr Leung, who was awarded the Federation of Hong Kong Industries 2001 Young Industrialist Award, said the Science Park would provide SSL with the ideal R&D environment and infrastructure to keep the company ahead of the competition. Other awards won by SSL include the 2001 Hong Kong New Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Gold Award, the Hong Kong Awards for Industry’s Trade and Industry Department Award for Quality in Technological Achievement, and a Certificate of Merit for Productivity.