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AT&S Establishes the Cleanest Working Environment in Styria
November 24, 2023 | AT&SEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
As a globally active high-tech group and a key driver of technological development in microelectronics, AT&S is currently completing its “lighthouse project” in Leoben-Hinterberg. The new R&D center for IC substrates and packaging technologies is a unique development and production center for connection technologies and substrates in the high-end technology sector in the western world. It will start production in 2024.
300 new jobs
The leading market position that AT&S has built up over the past decades allows the Leoben-based high-tech company to continue to grow. “We need bright minds and skilled hands for our future tasks,” says Eduard Lackner, Senior Manager HR for Austria at AT&S. The new competence center in Leoben will create a total of 700 new jobs. 270 new employees have already been brought on board, and the intensive search is now underway for a further 300 specialists.
300 new jobs have been advertised as operators in the production and manufacturing areas, in the laboratory (chemistry), in maintenance as well as positions aimed at HTL graduates as a first career opportunity. In general, basic technical training (such as electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, mechatronics or industrial installation), manual skills and reliability are required.
The cleanest workplace in Styria
This new R&D center with substrate production is an end-to-end clean room construction. With the ISO 3 and ISO 4 cleanrooms (or cleanroom 1000 and cleanroom 10,000) required for substrate production, these workplaces are cleaner than a hospital’s surgery room, as even the smallest particles of dirt and contamination such as hair or make-up residue endanger the high-tech products. It is therefore fair to say that AT&S has established the cleanest working environment in Styria.
Reduced working hours, 300 euro shift bonus
What makes the jobs even more attractive is the five-shift operation and a fixed sequence of morning, afternoon and night shifts. The average annual working time is reduced to 32.4 hours per week. The remuneration models are enhanced with a shift bonus of 300 euros. “Even those who have previously worked in non-technical areas can apply for these positions at AT&S,” says Eduard Lackner. “We have training programs and also make career changers fit for our high-tech world.” English is established as the corporate language in the multinational working environment at AT&S, but it is not a prerequisite for the production areas. “Production will start at the new center at the beginning of 2024, and we want to have as many new employees on board as possible for this intensive phase.”
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Julia McCaffrey - NCAB GroupSuggested Items
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
05/08/2026 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007This week, I’ve selected some outstanding interviews that you’ll want to take note of. First, is a roundtable discussion featuring three dynamic industry cybersecurity experts. Please watch this important discussion that affects us all. Following that, I spotlight the IPC-2581 Consortium, which explains why IPC-2581 is the standard to replace Gerber data for manufacturing. Next, I am including my interview with PCBAA and AAM, who collaborated to release a short documentary on U.S. PCB manufacturing.
A Necessary Shift From Gerber to IPC-2581
05/07/2026 | Tracy Riggan, Global Electronics AssociationIPC-2581 is an open, vendor-neutral data exchange standard developed by the Global Electronics Association to streamline the exchange of PCB design information across fabrication, assembly, and test. It replaces multiple legacy formats—including industry standards, Gerber, and ODB++—with a single, comprehensive, XML-based dataset that captures all manufacturing details.
ViaSat-3 F3 Satellite Successfully Launches from Kennedy Space Center
05/04/2026 | BoeingBoeing mission controllers confirmed that the ViaSat-3 F3 (VS-3 F3) satellite is healthy in orbit following its successful launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket at 10:13 a.m. ET from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida.
Microchip Expands Post-Quantum Root of Trust Controllers
04/29/2026 | MicrochipAs the industry embarks on the transition to post‑quantum cryptography (PQC), Microchip Technology is expanding its portfolio of Trust Shield, PQC‑ready devices with the TS1800 Platform Root of Trust controller and the TS50x secure boot controller.
Is China Plus One Still Happening in the PCB Industry?
04/28/2026 | Manfred Huschka, Manfred Huschka Management Consulting (Shenzhen) Ltd.For much of the past five years, China Plus One has been shorthand for supply-chain diversification: reducing dependency on mainland China by adding manufacturing capacity elsewhere in Asia. In the PCB industry, however, in early 2026, it is more nuanced. It looks less like a clean geographic shift and more like a layered, capital-intensive rebalancing of global capacity, one that still leaves China deeply embedded at the center.