Press Release
PATRICK ADMINISTRATION AWARDS WORKFORCE GRANT TO E INK OF CAMBRIDGE
Grant to Help Electronic Paper Display Firm Grow in Today's Innovation Economy
Boston, MA, October 11, 2007 – Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Suzanne Bump today presented a $115,700 Workforce Training Fund grant to E Ink of Cambridge, the world's leading provider of electronic paper displays, which will train more than 120 employees in Six Sigma protocol for manufacturing variability reduction, project management, as well as industrial mixing practices.
During a visit to E Ink headquarters in Cambridge, Bump said, "The Patrick Administration recognizes that staying ahead in today's innovation economy requires smart investments in work force training. I commend E Ink for recognizing the need for training its employees and for looking to the Workforce Training Fund as a way to help making this training happen. We want to do everything we can to give companies the tools to grow and create more jobs in the years ahead."
One of the goals of the grant is to ensure that E Ink will have a permanent group of employees qualified as Six Sigma "black belts" who will train new hires in the future. Over the next two years, the grant will enable E Ink to expand production, reduce process variability, and achieve an aggressive technology roadmap.
The Workforce Training Fund is administered by the Department of Workforce Development, under the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development and provides businesses and labor organizations with matching grants of up to $250,000 to finance incumbent worker training.
Since its inception in 1999, the Workforce Training Fund has awarded a total of $156 million in more than 4,600 grants to train over 215,000 Massachusetts workers.
E Ink was founded in 1997 based on research started at the MIT Media Lab. E Ink employees manufacture and conduct research on the company's proprietary electrophoretic technology, which is featured in numerous high volume products worldwide by companies such as Sony, Motorola, Seiko, and Lexar.
"We are growing quickly, and our success comes from respecting and supporting our talent and meeting our customers' expectations," said Russ Wilcox, E Ink CEO. "This training program is made possible through our partnership with the Workforce Training Fund and it will have a significant impact on our business operations."
"E Ink will more than match the Workforce Training Fund's grant with a substantial investment of its own," said Lynne Garone, E Ink's senior director of analytical technology. "Peer training is already part of E Ink's culture as a company, both for career development and for technical advancement. The Workforce Training Fund grant allows us to learn from experts in manufacturing, quality and management disciplines. This will help propel our company to the next level."
Workforce Training Fund grant applications are available on-line, and the deadline for the next funding round is 5.00pm on November 1, 2007. For more information, visit www.mass.gov/wtf.
About E Ink Holdings
Founded in 1992 by Taiwan's leading papermaking and printing group YFY (1907.TW), E Ink Holdings Inc. "E Ink" (8069.TW) is the pioneer of TFT and ePaper business in Taiwan. Its corporate philosophy aims to deliver revolutionary products, user experiences, and environmental benefits through advanced technology development. This vision has led to its continuous investments in the field of ePaper display as well as its 2008 acquisition of Hydis Technologies, manufacturer of the world's best wide viewing angle LCDs and its 2009 acquisition of E Ink Corp., the worldwide leader in ePaper. Listed in Taiwan's GreTai Securities Market and the Luxembourg market, E Ink is now the world's largest supplier of displays to the eBook market. For corporate information, please visit www.einkgroup.com; for EPD information, please visit www.eink.com / tw.eink.com; and for FFS information, please visit www.hydis.com.