KoMiCo, Ltd., a semiconductor company based in Korea, announced its plans to begin operations in Round Rock by mid-2007. The company is a leader in the industry of environmentally friendly production of cleaning technology for the semiconductor industry. Company officials say the move is intended to help them effectively service their U.S. customers. KoMiCo also has a facility in San Jose, Calif.

“Our Round Rock facility will allow KoMiCo to actively cope with customer needs such as quality improvement, delivery time reduction, and an improved working environment,” said KoMiCo CEO Seon-Kyu Jeon.

The company will employ 100 to 120 staff in the Austin office and plans to be fully operational by mid-2007.

According to the Austin Chamber of Commerce, the decision by KoMiCo shows the ongoing growth of the semiconductor industry, particularly after the announcement by Samsung in April 2006 to build a next-generation wafer fab in Austin.

“We are excited to expand our global outreach with the addition of KoMiCo to the Austin region," said Joe Holt, Chair of Opportunity Austin and Chairman of JPMorgan Chase - Austin. “The semiconductor industry in Central Texas will continue to attract top companies to the Austin area.”

Opportunity Austin, the Chamber’s five year economic development initiative to create 72,000 new jobs and increase payroll in the Central Texas region by $2.9 million has already surpassed its goals in the first three years with an addition of 80,900 jobs and $3.5 million to the region since the program’s inception in 2003.