Mar 27 2009
Michael Lebby, president of OIDA, testified Tuesday at a Congressional hearing on China's Industrial Policy and Its Impact on U.S. Companies, Workers and the American Economy. Chaired by Commissioners Patrick A. Mulloy and Daniel M. Slane, Lebby offered OIDA's perspective on the panel discussing China's Nanotechnology and Optoelectronics Industries.
Lebby outlined a number of approaches needed to strengthen the U.S. optoelectronics (OE) industry and listed the areas in optoelectronics that need focus and support to generate, maintain, and retain skill jobs in the U.S. OIDA members comprise U.S. based entrepreneurial start-ups, pre-IPO, public, and trans-national corporations — the majority of which use Asian, predominantly Chinese, manufacturing for packaging and assembly in their optoelectronic product lines. According to Lebby, “OIDA received input from over 300 industry leaders on issues related to Chinese industrial policy and its effect on our industry. This input significantly increased the value of the OIDA testimony to the Commission.”
OIDA's position included several recommendations to strengthen the U.S. optoelectronics industry including direct, focused optoelectronics government support through existing agencies. Lebby noted that commercial R&D in optoelectronics has waned significantly over the last two decades, creating a huge chasm in commercial, industrial optoelectronics research. “It's simply missing, gone; we just don't do it anymore—the chain is broken,” he said.
Lebby explained that OIDA members stress the importance of commercial, industrial, optoelectronics research and development, which takes new concepts from academia and turns them into products. Lebby noted, “If our government agencies implement focused optoelectronics programs that allow our fledging optoelectronics industry to take the great academic ideas and turn them into products, we can design our next generation products and even create efficient manufacturing plants here in the U.S.” Lebby went on to cite two examples, “Our leading optoelectronics companies are struggling to keep their chip fabrication manufacturing plants here in the U.S. as the design and IP is complex. With focused programs, we can grow this competence through photonics foundries.”
“As an example,” he continued, “if we decide to focus on organic light emitting diodes (which will be universal in the next decade for displays, photovoltaics, and lighting), we can manufacture these organic devices, not as Asia does on glass panels, but on roll-to-roll technologies – just like newspapers. With innovation and focused investment by our government, we can manufacture here in the U.S. and grow skilled jobs in our industry.”