PEER Group and Polar Semiconductor Share Case Study of Successful Implementation of Factory Modernization at SEMI Fab Owners Alliance

Kitchener, Ontario, February 25, 2025 – PEER Group®, the largest supplier of innovative factory automation software products for the semiconductor industry, and Polar Semiconductor, a U.S.-based semiconductor manufacturer specializing in sensor, power, and high-voltage wafer production, are co-presenting a case study during the upcoming SEMI® Fab Owners Alliance (FOA) Collaborative Forum.

The case study, titled Legacy Modernization: How Polar Semiconductor is Poised for Growth, details the results of PEER Group and Polar’s ongoing partnership. The presentation highlights work that is being done to upgrade Polar’s factory station controllers using PEER Group’s PEER Factory Station Controller (PFSC) automation software. The upgrade is part of extensive expansion and modernization plans at Polar’s 310,000 sq. ft. advanced manufacturing facility in Bloomington, Minnesota.

“This story is a textbook example of how PFSC can help legacy fabs modernize their operations with a robust, secure, and flexible factory automation framework and provide the technological foundation to enable growth and expansion,” says Bob Kane, Director, North American Sales at PEER Group. “Polar’s world-class engineering team has really taken advantage of all the features and capabilities PFSC provides and we look forward to sharing this story with other members of the FOA.”

Ryan Daniel, Senior Applications Engineering at PEER Group, and Chet Borg, Director of Information Technology at Polar, will co-present the case study, which also covers topics such as rapid tool integration, future proofing, and cybersecurity – the last of which is very important to Polar as they expand operations.

“One of the biggest wins from the IT perspective when making the switch to PFSC was having up-to-date software,” says Borg. “This modern platform allows us to stay recent on all our patches and keep our operations cybersecure. Without PEER Group and PFSC, it would have been very difficult to move away from our legacy operating systems.”

Established in 2004, the FOA is a SEMI technology community comprised of semiconductor and MEMS fab owners and industry suppliers. Members meet regularly to discuss common manufacturing issues and how to combine strengths and resources to increase their global competitiveness. The Collaborative Forum takes place February 26-27 in Phoenix, Arizona.