Trade.Information

Company Name: Zarlink Semiconductor Inc.

Company Type: Semiconductor Manufacturing

Company Profile

Zarlink Semiconductor delivers world-leading, mixed-signal chip technology for a broad range of communications, optical and medical applications. The Company's core capabilities are in network timing, voice enhancement, optical interconnect and ultra low-power wireless communication. Serving the world's largest equipment manufacturers, Zarlink's highly integrated chip solutions help customers simplify design, lower costs and reach market quickly.

Executive Management Team :

1.  Kirk K. Mandy
     President and Chief Executive Officer

Kirk Mandy was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company on February 17, 2005.  He has served as Vice-Chairman of Zarlink's Board of Directors from July 2001 to February 2005, relinquishing that position upon his appointment as President and CEO.

 Over a distinguished career with Mitel Corporation spanning 15 years, Mr. Mandy held increasingly senior roles, culminating in the position of President and CEO from 1998 to 2001.

 Mr. Mandy is a member of the board of Epocal and Chairman of The Armstrong Monitoring Corporation. He has served on the Board of Mitel Corporation, Photowatt, Strategic Microelectronics Corporation (SMC), the Canadian Advanced Technology Association (CATA), The Canadian Microelectronics Corp. (CMC), The Ottawa Center for Research and Innovation (OCRI), and Micronet. He is also past Chairman of the Telecommunications Research Center of Ontario (TRIO), past Co-Chairman of the National Research Council's Innovation Forum, and past Co-Chairman of the Ottawa Partnership. Mr. Mandy is a graduate of Algonquin College in Ottawa.
 

2.  Hank Perret
     Senior VP & GM, Communication Products Group

Hank Perret brings more than 30 years of management experience in the semiconductor industry to Zarlink's executive team. In his current role, Mr. Perret is responsible for direction and growth of Zarlink's Communication Products business.

Mr. Perret joined Zarlink through its acquisition of Legerity, where he served as President and CEO. Before joining Legerity, he was CFO and Vice President of Finance of Actel Corporation, a leading supplier of programmable logic solutions. Prior to his 5-year tenure at Actel, Mr. Perret was site controller for Applied Materials' manufacturing division in Austin, Texas. Previously he spent 12 years with National Semiconductor in a variety of financial roles.

Mr. Perret serves as the President of the Foundation Board of the Capital Area Food Bank in Austin. Mr. Perret holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, with a concentration in accounting from San Jose State University.

3.  Steve Swift
     Senior VP & GM, Medical Products Group

Steve Swift assumed responsibility for the company's worldwide medical business in 1999, with the goal of driving Zarlink's leadership in ultra low-power medical applications. He excels at bringing complex products to market, and has 20 years' experience in the definition, design, and management of medical microelectronics systems. Mr. Swift personally holds eight patents for medical semiconductor applications.

Mr. Swift joined Zarlink in 1997 as manager, ASIC Engineering, based in San Diego, California. In 1998 he was promoted to general manager, Medical & Industrial Mixed-Signal ASICs, responsible for engineering and product marketing at the company's locations in San Diego and Järfälla, Sweden. He was named general manager, Medical Products in 1999, and a vice president and general manager in 2001.

Mr. Swift began his career in 1975 developing color TV circuits for AWA-Thorn Consumer Products in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. In 1979 he joined NSW-based Telectronics, and spent 18 years in Australia and the US designing and managing the development of ICs for cardiac pacemakers, defibrillators, and other medical applications.

Mr. Swift earned a Bachelor of Engineering (Electronics) from the University of New South Wales in 1974. He is married with two children and lives in the San Diego, California area.

4.  Dr. Stan Swirhun
     Senior VP & GM, Optical Products Group

Dr. Stan Swirhun joined Zarlink in June 2005 with responsibility for the strategic direction and growth of the company's Opto Electronics business. As a veteran executive with 25 years of entrepreneurial, management and technology experience in the micro and optical electronics industries, Dr. Swirhun has a proven ability to define and execute high-growth product strategies.

Dr. Swirhun is well known in the industry as a founder and the CEO of Picolight Inc., a rapidly growing private company specializing in VCSEL (vertical cavity surface emitting laser)-based optical components and transceivers. He led Colorado-based Picolight from 1997 to 2004.

From 1993 to 1997, Dr. Swirhun was VP of Engineering and then CTO at Vixel Corporation, where he guided the company's product and customer strategies in storage area networks. In his executive roles with these early-stage companies, Dr. Swirhun successfully oversaw large-scale market creation and product development programs, business processes, and funding and acquisition strategies.

In addition, Dr. Swirhun held technology positions with Bandgap Technology, Honeywell, BNR/NorTel Semiconductor and Bell-Northern Research.

Dr. Swirhun earned a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University and is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He holds 21 U.S. technology patents.

5.  Andre Levasseur
     Senior VP Finance and Chief Financial Officer

Andre Levasseur was appointed Senior Vice President Finance and Chief Financial Officer in June 2009, and is responsible for the company's corporate finance strategy and the fulfillment of financial control, taxation, treasury, and other financial activities.

Mr. Levasseur joined the company in 1998, and has held increasingly senior finance roles focused on improving Zarlink's cost structure and helping define its product strategy. Most recently, Mr. Levasseur served as Corporate Comptroller (2007-2009) and Senior Director of Finance, Worldwide Business Support (2004-2007), where he managed financial reporting and internal accounting systems and led finance responsibilities for acquisition and divestment activities. He has also served as Director of Finance, Network Communications Division (now Communication Products), where he provided financial leadership for the product group.

Mr. Levasseur joined the company as Director of Finance/Human Resources/IS and Plant Controller for Mitel's foundry operations in Bromont, Quebec. Mr. Levasseur began his professional career in 1995 with Arthur Anderson and Co. He obtained his Chartered Accountant designation in 1987, and holds a Graduate Diploma in Accounting and a Bachelor of Commerce from Concordia University.

6.  Donald McIntyre
     Senior VP HR and Corporate Secretary

Don McIntyre has more than 26 years of legal experience and 13 years of human resources development. He has practiced corporate, securities and intellectual property law, and served in corporate functions that included General Counsel, Treasurer and Secretary. He has been with the company for more than 14 years and assumed his present role in 1998.

In 1987, Mr. McIntyre joined the company as Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary and took on the additional responsibility for Human Resources in 1991. Prior to 1987, he served in a similar role for Paccar of Canada Ltd. for seven years. Before this, he was in private practice for five years in the law firm of McIntyre and O'Neill.

Mr. McIntyre has received degrees in Chemical Engineering (1970) and Law (1973) from Queen's University. He was called to the Ontario Bar in 1975.

Mr. McIntyre is married with two children and lives in the Ottawa region.

7.  Gary Tanner
     Senior VP, Worldwide Operations

Gary Tanner is responsible for Zarlink's Worldwide Operations, including overall responsibility for product and test engineering, global manufacturing, quality, logistics and purchasing activities.

Mr. Tanner brings over 34 years of experience to Zarlink. Gary joined Zarlink through its acquisition of Legerity, where he was Vice President of Operations. Prior to joining Legerity, he was plant manager for Intel's Fab 23. Throughout his career with Intel Gary held various management positions in both greenfield and existing operations for multiple facilities, both domestic and international. Before Intel, Mr. Tanner held multiple fab operations management positions with National Semiconductor, Texas Instruments and NCR.

Mr. Tanner holds a Bachelor of Science degree in technical management from Regis College.

Zarlink Timeline :

1973
Mitel Corporation is founded in Ottawa, Canada as a telecommunications equipment manufacturer. Its first product is a tone receiver, an electronic device used to translate tones received from touchtone telephones into electronic signals for telephone systems.

1975
Mitel combines its tone receiver with LSI chip technology to produce a tone-to-pulse converter. The product allows the telephone companies' existing electro-mechanical switches to operate with the new touchtone phones, significantly extending the life of older CO (Central Office) equipment.

1976
Mitel begins developing internal semiconductor capability with the purchase of an IC manufacturing facility - know as a wafer foundry, or fab - in Bromont, Quebec, east of Montreal. From 1976 to 1992, Mitel's Semiconductor division operates primarily as a captive supplier to the company's telecommunications equipment business, with some chips sales to other electronic firms.

1977
Mitel develops and patents an Isolated Oxide Silicon Gate (ISO) CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) manufacturing process that is unequalled in producing ICs that combine high-speed transmission with low-power consumption.

1978
Mitel's new semiconductor capability and its rapid development of CMOS chips enables the company to enter the PBX (Private Branch Exchange) market. The SX-200 is a low-power, compact, microprocessor-controlled analog telephone switch and the most successful PBX product ever. Key components include the MT8804, the industry's first analog cross-point chip.

1980
Invests $72 million to expand the Bromont wafer foundry.

1981
Mitel begins trading on the NYSE.

1982
Develops the industry's first T1/E1 framer chip.

1983
Mitel's new plant in Caldicot, Wales is a combined PBX manufacturing and semiconductor hybrid operation.

1984
Introduces the SX-2000, its first digital PBX. The MT8870 single-chip tone receiver significantly contributes to the machine's unique combination of high performance and compact size.

1992
Mitel begins executing a strategic decision to build a merchant semiconductor business. In 1992, Mitel Semiconductor had revenue of about CDN$40 million. Eight years later, semiconductor revenue reaches CDN$600 million.

1995
Introduces integrated T1/E1 PLL (Phase Locked-Loop) trunk synchronizer.

1996
Mitel Semiconductor buys ABB Haffo in Sweden, a manufacturer of optoelectronic semiconductor components and mixed-signal ASICs (Applications Specific Integrated Circuits) for medical applications.

1997
Introduces a leading VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser) for fiber optic transmission systems.

1998
Mitel acquires GEC-Plessey Semiconductor in the UK. Mitel gains wireless technology and communications ASIC expertise, including a leading position in RF (Radio Frequency) technology.

2000
Mitel buys California-based Vertex Networks, Inc., a fabless semiconductor company providing high-performance solutions for the LAN (Local Area Network) and WAN (Wide Area Network) access markets.

2001
Mitel sells its telephony-based Communications Systems Business and emerges as Zarlink Semiconductor - a "pure play" semiconductor company focusing on communications ICs and optical components. In March 2001, Patrick Brocket is named the first CEO of Zarlink Semiconductor.

 Zarlink begins a four-year period of significant product expansion, introducing demodulator chips for satellite and terrestrial STBs (set-top boxes), its first family of Gigabit Ethernet switching chips, 128- and 32-channel voice echo cancellers, and the industry's highest capacity TDM switching devices capable of processing thousands of voice/data channels. Develops its first digital timing chip for SONET/SDH systems.

2002
Zarlink sells its foundry in Bromont, Canada to Dalsa Corporation, and its wafer fabrication facility in Plymouth, UK to X-FAB Semiconductor Foundries AG.

Develops new surge protection ICs used in implanted medical devices, such as neurostimulators, implantable defibrillators, and pacemakers. Unveils the industry's first high-density CESoP (Circuit Emulation Services-over-Packet) packet processor to allow service providers to carry TDM traffic over IP networks.

2003
Zarlink expands its timing portfolio to offer a comprehensive range of digital, analog and module synchronization products.

2004
Given Imaging selects Zarlink's ultra low-power RF transmitter chip for use in the world's first swallowable camera capsule. Zarlink's RF chip transmits two movie-quality images per second from the capsule, allowing a more thorough and non-invasive examination of the gastrointestinal tract. 

2005
Zarlink Semiconductor appoints Kirk K. Mandy as CEO. Dr. Stan Swirhun, founder and CEO of Picolight, joins the company to heads its Optical business unit.

Launches the ZL70100 MICS (Medical Implant Communication Service) ultra low-power transceiver chip for wireless communication systems linking implanted medical devices and base stations.

 In October, Zarlink announces the sale of its RF Front-End consumer business to Intel.

2006
Zarlink acquires the optical I/O (in/out) business of Primarion. This technology is deployed in optical modules used for interconnect in data centers and super-computing applications. Zarlink sells its Packet Switching product group to Conexant Systems.

2007
Zarlink acquires Legerity Holdings, Inc., a leading developer and supplier of voice ICs for carrier, enterprise and residential gateway equipment. Combining the products and expertise of Zarlink's Network Communications group and Legerity, Wired Communications delivers a range of voice enhancement and timing and synchronization products for the access, residential and enterprise markets.

 Dr. Adam Chowaniec and Oleg Khaykin join the Board of Directors.

 Zarlink introduces the industy's first integrated active optical cable, ZLYnx, for data center interconnect. The cable extends iterconnect reach, while providing weight and flexibility advatages. Zarlink also introduces a family of Video IP Surveillance (VIPS) camera and control room optical transceiver products that improve the performance and reduce installation and expansion costs of video surveillance systems.  

2008
Zarlink announces that it is the first vendor to support volume production of active optical cables for data center and computer cluster interconnect applications, shipping over 10,000 cables to major data center operators as well as InfiniBand and Ethernet switch vendors and system integrators. The Company expands its ZLynx portfolio, with new cables with integrated QSFP and QSFP-to-CX4 terminations.  

 The Compay sells its Analog Foundry in Swindon, UK to MHS Electronics UK Ltd.

 Zarlink's ZL70101 MICS chip for in-body communications wins an EE Times Product of the Year award. The Company announces it is shipping the ZL70101 module to St. Jude Medical for use in implanted defibrillators. The Zarlink-led Self-Energizing Implantable Medical Microsystem (SIMM) project successfully designs and tests an in-body microgenerator that will harvest energy from the heartbeat to power implanted medical devices.  

 The Company introduces its Next-Generation Carrier Chipset (NGCC) for a range of equipment delivering video and VoIP services. Zarlink's CESoP technology is designed into Aurora Networks' access module to enable seamless delivery of TDM services over packet networks, including wireless backhaul over mobile broadband networks.     

Stock History :

The Company was incorporated in Canada in 1971 and continued under the Canada Business Corporations Act in 1976. On July 25, 2001, the Company formally changed its name from Mitel Corporation (MLT) to Zarlink Semiconductor Inc.. In connection with the name change, the Company began trading under the symbol "ZL" on the New York Stock Exchange and The Toronto Stock Exchange on September 7, 2001. All reports filed by the Company under Section 13 or 15 (d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, prior to August 13, 2001 were filed under the name "Mitel Corporation.

Original listing on TSE August 13/79 - opened @ Cdn $12.50, closed @ Cdn $12.75
Original listing on NYSE May 18/81

1st Public Offering (July 4, 1979)
1,500,000 common shares @ Cdn $10.50

2nd Public Offering (1980)
750,000 common shares @ Cdn $23.625

3-for-1 stock split on October 27, 1980

In Canada Only - Not Listed In The U.S. (2,250,000 shares)

3rd Public Offering (1981)
900,000 common shares @ Cdn $42.25
2,900,000 common shares @ US $35.25

4th Public Offering (1981)
First offering of preferred shares was in the prospectus dated January 31, 1984 - price per share was Cdn $42.50

5th Public Offering (June 1998)
Press release issued June 30, 1998. 8 million common shares @ Cdn $21.50 per common share. (Canada only)

6th Public Offering (August 2007)
Press releases issued August 3, 2007 and August 29, 2007. Convertible Debentures issue to finance the acquisition of Legerity Holdings, Inc.

About Company

Zarlink Semiconductor delivers world-leading, mixed-signal chip technology for a broad range of communications, optical and medical applications. The Company's core capabilities are in network timing, voice enhancement, optical interconnect and ultra low-power wireless communication. Serving the world's largest equipment manufacturers, Zarlink's highly integrated chip solutions help customers simplify design, lower costs and reach market quickly.

FY2009 Revenue: US $227.2 million