Watlow® Opens New Ceramic Technology Center In St. Louis to Develop Advanced Material Solutions for Thermal Management Systems

11/15/2023

Watlow

St. Louis, MO

Watlow® has opened a new Ceramic Technology Center at its St. Louis headquarters today to develop new materials solutions that enhance the company’s advanced thermal management systems for customers in semiconductor, medical devices, life sciences, green energy and other critical industries.

 Located inside Watlow’s Technology and Development Center, the new Ceramic Technology Center is a $6 million, 12,000 square foot conversion of available factory space that will create an initial 10-15 new high-tech jobs plus many more in the coming years, adding to the company’s 600+ employee base in St. Louis and 4300+ employees worldwide.

“The Ceramic Technology Center will allow us to research and develop the technologies that our customers require, along with the data behind the technologies, so that we can scale and grow the business,” said Rob Gilmore, Watlow’s chief executive officer.  “The team working in this area will be responsible for ceramic research and development of materials and processes to support and enhance our most advanced thermal systems.”

Advanced ceramics provide a unique combination of material properties utilized in a wide range of demanding thermal management system applications.

“We take great pride in our investment in research and development of advanced materials in the St. Louis area, which will pave the way for numerous high-tech job opportunities," said Dr. Ashish Bhatnagar, Watlow’s chief technology officer. "The Ceramic Technology Center stands as a cornerstone for our semiconductor and other business units' growth strategy. This facility will empower us to explore and innovate with cutting-edge materials, offering high-value solutions to our customers on a global scale.”

Watlow received support from several government programs to support its efforts to attract new jobs and build the infrastructure for its new Ceramic Technology Center. A grant of $740,000 from the Jordan Valley Innovation Center was used to help offset the cost of machinery and equipment. Additionally, Watlow will benefit from the Missouri Department of Economic Development’s Missouri Works program and Missouri One Start division. The Missouri Works program is a tool that helps companies expand and retain workers by providing access to capital through withholdings or tax credits for job creation. Missouri One Start, a division of the Department of Economic Development, assists eligible businesses with their recruitment and training needs.

About Watlow

Watlow is a global industrial technology company that uses its world-class engineering expertise, advanced thermal systems, and manufacturing excellence to provide a wide array of temperature control, power control, heater technologies, and temperature sensing platforms. Watlow brings its experience to a broad cross section of industries, including semiconductor processing, environmental chambers, energy processes, diesel emissions, medical and foodservice equipment.

Since 1922, Watlow has grown in product capability, market experience and global reach. The company holds more than 1,100 patents and employs more than 4,200 team members working in 11 manufacturing facilities and nine technology and development centers in the United States, Mexico, Europe, and Asia. Watlow covers 95 countries through sales and distribution offices around the world.