Semitool lays off 200 more in Flathead Valley

Semitool announced layoffs recently. The company has cut about 200 jobs from its Flathead and Libby workforce, on top of 100 job cuts in the valley this fall.

The cuts drop Semitool employment in the valley down to about 700. The employee reduction come after employees were notified before Christmas that job cuts were in the works.

“This layoff is simply a follow-up to that announcemnt and is response to extreme business circumstances in our industry and the world economy, including a number of unexpected cancellations and push-outs of customer orders from Asia and Europe as well as the United States,” the company said in a release.

“We do not have a current plan for a follow-up layoff, however, like other companies impacted by world economic conditions. We will have to remain reponsive to those conditions.”

The company’s worldwide layoff includes about 80 more employees.

Semitool is a manufacturer of wafer processing equipment for the semiconductor industry. It has plants in Evergreen and Kalispell.