Malvern-based Vishay Intertechnology recently received a visit from U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, both of whom have shown support for legislation that would seek to bring more manufacturing back to America, writes Erin Arvedlund for the Philadelphia Inquirer. 

Vishay, one of the largest global manufacturers of semiconductors and electronic components, is one of many U.S. chipmakers that has experienced supply chain issues due to the pandemic. The company has around 22,000 employees, with main workers stationed in Europe and Asian countries such as Malaysia, the Philippines, and Taiwan. 

However, it only has about 2,200 employees in the U.S., with none of the manufacturing taking place in Malvern or elsewhere in Pennsylvania. According to Raimondo, the percentage of global semiconductor fabrication in 1990 was at 40 percent in the U.S. It has since dropped to about 12 percent as of 2020.

The proposed legislation, known as the Bipartisan Innovation Act, would incentivize domestic semiconductor manufacturing and boost supply chain security.  

“We’d like to get that back to 20 percent to 25 percent of all chips in America,” said Raimondo. “But it will take years, not months. There’s no reason this can’t happen. It’s about our national security.” 

Read more about the legislation in the Philadelphia Inquirer.