Lexington, KY - Semicon Associates was founded in 1953 before the term "high tech" had even entered the lexicon. Back then, there was no Internet, no space program and only a fledgling national defense system, and the medical field was decades from the dazzling technological advances so common today. But the early '50s was the starting point for this small company originally devoted to research and development, with a keen eye on the future.
Today, Semicon is a producer of tungsten dispenser cathodes for traveling wave tubes, cathode ray tubes and ion lasers. It also produces space-qualified cathode assemblies and samarium cobalt magnets.
While the public probably doesn't know much about those technologies, suffice it to say that engineers, NASA planners, military commanders and physicians working in communications, space, defense and medicine know exactly what they do.
In a recent interview, Mike Effgen, Semicon's general manager, explained some of the company's vital systems.
"For example, on the military side, Semicon makes decoy systems that are intended to make it appear, to the enemy, that a ship or a plane is somewhere other than where it is located in the ocean or sky," he said.
On the communications side, Effgen said Semicon manufactures communication devices for space, satellites and cell phone towers. On the medical side, it also produces the energy sources for MRI and CAT scans and oncology machines.
Effgen said that Semicon's business has been "extremely good' over the past three years, primarily because of its diversity.
"Our military products are generally seen as 'force protection,' meaning they are designed to protect people, not necessarily equipment," said Effgen. "And the military does spend a lot of money to protect our forces. In communications, cell phones, iPads, Palm Pilots and iPhones have proliferated with the Internet."
Semicon Associates is a subsidiary of Ceradyne, Inc., based in Costa Mesa, Calif., and a producer of advanced technical ceramics. Semicon and Ceradyne recently held a ceremony marking their 25th anniversary as partners in Lexington.
Semicon has about 75 employees and lately has been hiring at the rate of four or five people per year. Effgen said the company is looking for a very specific kind of talent that is hard to find.
"We want people who have a high level of artistic skill, because our products are manually produced," said Effgen. "We look for people who follow instructions. We have method sheets that explain how to manufacture each step and process. These must be meticulously followed. Our work is mostly done under microscopes. They need to have the manipulative skills of an artist."
Therefore, said Mary Beth Warner, director of manufacturing, new employees need a combination of skill and special training.
"Being as high tech as we are, there is a training curve of three to six months for a lot of the positions to reach the point where they are adept at what they do. But once they get through the training curve, we do retain. We have very good retention rates," Warner said.
Yes, people tend to stay with the company for many years. That is almost an expectation when they are recruited, hired and trained. Eight current employees were there when Ceradyne acquired Semicon in 1986.
Semicon currently has open requisitions and continues to hire.
"We have a strong backlog; we're shipping well and we're profitable," said Warner, herself a long-time Semicon employee.
The fact that our nation is at war has provided Semicon and Ceradyne with numerous defense contracts. Ceradyne, for example, manufactures body armor at its Lexington facility.
"We like to think we're doing our part, and we are," said Warner. "You'll find that our employees have pride in what we do because we know we are making a difference."
The cities of Lexington and Louisville are working together on a regional economic development initiative designed to improve both cities' competitiveness in advanced manufacturing. Effgen favors the concept. Semicon already works closely with the University of Kentucky and would welcome a relationship with the University of Louisville.
"Semicon Associates and UK have been partners for the last nine years. We screen design projects in UK's Department of Engineering. We have had about 20 interns come through our facility. We hire about half of the interns either at this facility or at Ceradyne," said Effgen.
The UK partnership provides Semicon with research capabilities it wouldn't be able to do on its own.
"It has allowed us to move into new technological fields, such as cryogenic machining," added Warner.
Cryogenic machining uses liquid nitrogen instead of water, oil or synthetic coolants to lower temperatures during machine cutting.
Semicon is recognized worldwide as one of the best at what it does. It enjoys an 85 to 90 percent market share, said Effgen.
"Semicon tends to bridge what the other companies under Ceradyne do. We are generally their beta test site, and what works here will work everywhere in the company. We are self-supporting and a very profitable member of the Ceradyne family," he concluded.